


Serve and Protect

by Dreamlover83



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: AU Story, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-07-22 19:19:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 47,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7450993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamlover83/pseuds/Dreamlover83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liz is the daughter of a rich politician and she starts to receive threats to her life. Her father decides he needs to hire someone to protect her...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Threats

“Elizabeth! Could you come in here for a second?” Liz’s father shouted. Liz came hurrying in from the kitchen to the huge living room where her dad was standing near the fireplace, holding an envelope. 

Liz went to sit on the expensive cream-coloured sofa with a worried look on her face. “What’s wrong dad?”

“Another letter came in,” he said, handing her the piece of paper he’d taken out of the envelope.

Liz took the letter from her father and started reading. It was another letter threatening Liz’s life. “It looks like it’s from a different sender this time but it worries me nonetheless” her dad said.

Being a high profile politician, Liz’s dad was used to receiving mail threatening his life. But having received a number of threats to his daughter’s life made him very worried and even scared.

After losing his wife 5 years ago, Elizabeth was all he had so he was extra protective and careful when it came to his daughter.

After her mother died, Liz had moved in with her dad to the massive mansion he lived in. It was half an hour’s drive from where she used to live so it wasn’t easy to stay in touch with her friends but she tried to meet up with them as much as possible.

Liz was living a privileged and high-maintenance life thanks to her dad’s fame and wealth.  
Money was never an issue, so she never worked a day in her life. She preferred to go shopping or getting pampered in a spa rather than getting a job she didn’t have to do. 

“I need you to stay inside for a little while, okay?” Liz heard her father say, “It’s too risky for you to go out there as long as we don’t know who wants to harm you”.

“Dad! You can’t be serious?” Liz exclaimed, ”You can’t expect me to stay inside and not go anywhere!”

“Elizabeth, darling, it’s for your own good. And mine. If you were out there I would be worried sick the entire time. I have enough on my plate right now without having to worry about you as well”

He continued, “Besides, you have enough here to keep yourself busy, sweetie. We have a pool, a tennis court, a fitness room, a cinema… So you should have enough to keep yourself entertained”, he said with a smile, “And you can always invite over some friends if you want but I just want to keep you safe”

“By keeping me locked up? That is so unfair! You get threats the whole time and you go out anyway” Liz ranted, “You think I don’t worry about you? But I don’t tell you to stay home now, do I?”

“Elizabeth, please, stop acting like a child and just listen to me for a change”

“I am listening to you! But I just don’t think it’s fair that you’re asking me to stay in the house for god knows how long!”

“Darling, I can go out because I have my security with me. I’m never on my own and have a whole detail with me at all times, you know that”.

“Okay, well, if that’s what it takes then I want my own security” Liz said while crossing her arms, “There is no way I’m staying inside for days”

Her father let out a long and heavy sigh. He knew that it was too much to ask from his daughter but he could not bear the thought of something happening to her.

“Fine” he said, “I will look into it. But it might take a little while cause I’m not letting just anybody look after you. I want you to be in good hands”.

Liz got up and hugged her father “Thanks dad, I knew we could come up with a solution”

How could he ever deny her anything, he thought as he hugged his daughter back. She was his angel. As a result she could get away with murder and she knew it…

That evening he sat at his desk, flicking through some resumes he kept in a folder. It was always good to have some recommendations at hand when it came to security people.

But no matter how hard he looked, nobody stood out enough for him to feel comfortable with looking after Elizabeth. Even after making a few calls, he was no closer to finding someone.

The next morning he saw Liz at the kitchen table. “Good morning darling, did you sleep well?” he tried sounding cheerful but Liz’s face was speaking for itself “Okay, I guess not”, he added quickly.

“I actually did sleep well, thank you for asking, but knowing that I will be stuck here all day doesn’t help my mood” she said, pulling a sad face.

“I am looking into it as I promised but you have to give me some time to find someone suitable for the job, honey”

“Well, can you promise me you will find someone, let’s say, by tomorrow?” She asked hopefully.

“I’m doing the best I can”, her dad said while taking a bite from his toast, “I really need to get going now. Please stay here and don’t leave the house”

She gave her dad a look that could kill but accepted the kiss on her cheek he gave her anyway. She knew that he was just worried about her but the thought of having to stay at home drove her crazy.

“See you later pumpkin”, he said while heading for the door, “I will try my best to find someone soon, okay? For now I will leave Tony here to look after you. I don’t want you being alone here”.

“It’s really not necessary to have someone looking after me here, but okay…see you tonight”. Tony was one of dad’s security detail and he was a nice man, so she could live with that.

All right, what shall I do first, Liz thought as she finished her breakfast.  
It was still early so the sun hadn’t really come out yet. Will go to the pool later; let’s watch a movie first, she decided.

After the movie finished, she changed into her new bikini. Oh, this is such a nice one, she thought while looking in the mirror. It was a black one with some glitter on the bra.

She grabbed a big pool towel and made her way to one of the sunbeds. She listened to some music on her iPod and went in for a dive twice.  
The sun was hot and she dried quickly. Liz got up to get herself a cool drink and shuffled her way back to her sunbed.

She could see Tony walking around the house and keeping an eye on her, although he was trying to give Liz her space and not being overly present.

My god, this was nice but so boring, she thought to herself. She wasn’t used to being at home a lot and especially not on her own. She picked up her phone and dialled Kim’s number. 

“Hey Kim, it’s me. Would you like to come up to the house?” Liz asked hopefully. “Oh, okay… Sure, no problem! Next time maybe”.

She tried two more friends but unfortunately everybody had other plans.  
“Dammit” she cursed as she made her way to the edge of the pool again.  
Let’s hope dad will find someone soon, she thought as she dived into the pool again.

That evening when Liz’s dad walked through the door Liz was at his side immediately. “Hey dad, did you find someone yet”.

“Hello to you too, Elizabeth” her dad laughed, “And how was your day?”

“It was terrible, that’s why you need to find someone now! Please dad” Liz begged him.

“Okay, okay, calm down. You were home for one day and you’re already going crazy” he shook his head, “That is really unhealthy sweetie. But, as promised, I’ll try to find someone this evening”.

After dinner he went to sit in his office again. He had the same stack of resumes in front of him but he really wasn’t happy about the choices he had.

Then he suddenly knew who he wanted for the job. One name that suddenly popped into his head. An old friend he had met years ago at a party.  
A guy that served in the Secret Service and that he trusted with his life. And therefore trusted him with his daughter’s life.

He picked up his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts. When he found the name, he dialled and hoped that his dear friend would take his job offer.


	2. Meet Ray Reddington

“That’s great! Thank you so much for doing this. We’ll see you tomorrow then” Liz’s dad said and hung up the phone. He couldn’t wait to tell Liz.

“Elizabeth, can I come in?” he asked while knocking on her bedroom door.

“Yes, of course” she answered and he went inside.   
“I’ve some good news for you, darling”, he started, “I found someone who will be your security. He’ll be here first thing tomorrow”.

“Really? Thank you! So who is this guy? Do you know him?” Liz inquired.

“Yes I do, he is an old friend of mine that has been in the Secret Service. He’s got an impeccable record and I trust him to protect you”.

“An old friend of yours? Don’t tell me he is an old guy dad, he’s gotta be able to keep up with me”, Liz snickered, already questioning her dad’s choice.

“I say an old friend because I’ve known him for almost 15 years. He is actually a few years younger than I am; I think he must be in his late 40’s by now. But either way, don’t you worry, I think you’ll be having a hard time keeping up with him”, he laughed.

“Well, let’s see about that. Just know that if I don’t approve of him, he’ll be gone sooner than you can say “Secret Service”, Liz said with a grin.

“Just wait and see, sweetie. I think you might actually like him”, he said while leaning in to give her a goodnight kiss. “Sleep well”.

“You too dad. Love you”

 

Liz noticed that she was a little bit nervous about meeting this friend of her dad’s. She had a hard time eating her breakfast and she looked up at her dad the moment she heard the doorbell ring.

“That must be Ray”, her father said excitedly as he got up to open the door. Liz carefully got up and slowly made her way to the front door. 

“Sam! So good to see you again!” she heard Ray say, “Such a long time”

Hmm, his voice sounded nice, Liz thought and got more curious now.  
She turned the corner to finally meet the man who was going to look after her.

“Darling, come here and meet Ray”, her dad said as he playfully slapped Ray on his shoulder.

“Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Raymond Reddington” Ray said as he took off his sunglasses and extended his hand to shake Liz’s.  
Liz had to do a double take. Raymond didn’t look at all like what she had pictured. Before her stood a man who was wearing a dark suit, had cropped hair and a nice tan. Nothing like any of her dad’s other friends. 

“So nice to finally meet Sam’s daughter”, he said still holding out his hand.

Liz shook it “Nice to meet you too”, she said, not sure what to think of him.  
He was being so…. nice but yet he had a very serious look in his eyes.

“Let’s get back to the kitchen”, Sam said as he closed the door behind Ray, “We were just having breakfast. Have you eaten already?”

“Yes I have, thank you”, Ray replied as they walked to the kitchen and sat at the table. “But please continue”

“So what are your plans for today, Elizabeth?” Sam asked while eating his cereal. 

“Err, I haven’t really thought about it yet. Maybe go shopping?” Liz said as she was dying to get out of the house.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. That will have to wait I’m afraid”, Ray said.

”Sorry sweetie but Ray is right. We will have to go through the house first, get Ray familiar with the grounds. There are some security protocols we’ll have to go through as well”, her dad explained.

Liz shrugged her shoulders “Whatever”, she sighed.

As Ray and her dad went off to do their business, Liz wandered around in the kitchen. Pfff, what am I going to do today, she thought.

It took all of two hours to cover the whole house and go through the protocols. Sam also showed Ray the letters they had received over the last few weeks.

“I’ve already showed them to the cops as well”, Sam told Ray as he handed him the letters, “And they tried to take fingerprints but didn’t find any. This guy is quite meticulous. Although I’m not sure it’s just one guy”.

“These are some serious threats, Sam”, Ray said while scanning the letters, ”It’s a good thing you called me”.

After Sam and Ray were done, they went downstairs looking for Liz.

“Elizabeth, do you mind showing Ray around the property outside? I really need to get to work now”, Sam asked Liz, who was on the phone with one of her friends. 

“Okay”, she mouthed to her dad, waving him goodbye. 

Sam shook Ray’s hand again “Thank you so much for doing this. I’m really worried about these threats but having you here will definitely ease my mind a little”

“No problem Sam. How could I say no to protecting your daughter? It’s an honour that you asked me”

Sam went to work and Ray stood there, waiting for Liz to hang up the phone.  
But Liz had no intention of doing so and lay back on the sofa, pretending Ray wasn’t even there.

After a few minutes Ray decided to have a walk around the house by himself while waiting for Elizabeth to get off the phone. He figured it couldn’t hurt to get more familiar with the layout.  
When he returned 10 minutes later, Liz was just saying goodbye to her friend.

“So…. shall we go outside then?” Liz asked.

“Miss Milhoan, like I said, I’m only here to protect you. If you have other plans, you can do them first, as long as we make our walk around the property today”.

“Please, call me Elizabeth”, Liz said as she got up, “And we might as well get it over with and do our little tour now”, she said with a sigh. 

“Okay, Elizabeth it is” Ray replied as he followed her outside.

“So here we have our swimming pool and over there you can see the tennis court”, she pointed, “And here on the back of the house we have another entrance, besides the ones on the front and the side”.

Liz was about to walk back inside when Ray stopped her. “Sorry Elizabeth, but I need to see more than that and definitely from a lot closer. You pointing to the certain places in this huge garden doesn’t quite help me with getting an idea of what the property looks like. I need to see everything from nearby and I want to have a look at the gate and the fences around the garden”.

Liz gave him a long stare…. Man, this guy was taking this job way too seriously, Liz thought.

“Fine”, she said while leading the way towards the tennis court, “Let’s start over there then”.

After walking in silence for a few minutes Ray asked, “So, do you like living here with your dad?”

Liz didn’t feel like making small talk at all but she decided to humour him.  
“It’s ok I guess. I’d prefer living closer to town though, closer to my friends”.

“I can see why; your dad is probably working most of the time, huh?”

“Yes he is. Not most of the time, ALL the time. I see him most days at breakfast though, if he doesn’t have an early meeting and at dinner a few times a week”.

“Must be hard, being on your own so much in this huge house”, Ray inquired while looking at her intently.

“It is…but I’m hardly ever here. I go into town almost every day, meeting up with friends or I just go shopping or whatever on my own. I got good at entertaining myself, as long as it’s outside the house”, she said with a smile. “I just don’t like being here on my own”.

Liz couldn’t believe she was telling a complete stranger all these things but somehow Ray seemed easy to talk to.

“Well, you won’t be alone in the house anymore”, he said, “Your father and I talked about it and it would be easiest if I stay here. That way I’m always here if something happens and it saves me from going back and forth between here and my own apartment”. 

Liz was slightly shocked by this news. Why hadn’t her dad discussed this with her first? She was under the impression that he wanted to hire someone to look after her while she was out, not to babysit her at the house as well. The thought of having Ray around 24/7 made her feel very self-conscious.

They had a cook and a maid in the house and her dad had a security detail when he went out but other than that this was kind of new to her. 

“Let’s just hope these threats go away soon. Then we can both get back to our lives”, Liz exclaimed as she suddenly started walking faster, getting ahead of Ray, “I am so done with this already”, she murmured.

They walked alongside the fences and trees that separated their property from the road and other properties behind it.

“It all seems in order. We can go back to the house now if you like”, Ray said, “Although I think it’s best if we stay in today”.

Liz let out another heavy sigh. “Okay then…. another great day at the house”, she said sarcastically. 

Just when she thought she might like this Ray guy, he had to go and ruin it.

They walked back to the house in silence.

 

When Sam came home he found Ray sitting at the living room table reading the newspaper. 

“Hey, how did it go?” Sam immediately asked, “Been wondering about it all day”.

“Okay, I guess”, was all Ray said.

“Okay? That doesn’t sound very promising…”

“Well, let’s just say that I get the feeling she doesn’t like me very much”, Ray explained with a disappointed smile. He didn’t want to let down his friend.

“Oh, just give it some time. She just doesn’t like the fact that she needs someone to look out for her. She’ll come around”, Sam said optimistically. “Is she in her room?”

As Sam walked upstairs he couldn’t help but wonder whether all of this was the right thing to do. Was he overreacting? He himself got many threats and nothing ever happened. No, he thought decisively, she’s my daughter and I need to protect her every way I can.

He knocked on Liz’s door. No answer. He knocked again but still no answer.  
He slowly opened the door and found Liz lying on her bed with her headphones on.

She looked up and took the headphones off. “Hi dad”.

“Hi pumpkin. Are you okay?” he asked carefully as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Fine I guess… I just really don’t like this whole situation”, Liz answered while staring at her hands, her fingers entwined.

“I know darling, but it will only be for a while. I’m hopeful that the police will find out who sent those letters and then it will all be over”.

He gave her a hug and went for the door. “Please give Ray a chance, will you? He really is a good guy”.

Liz looked up from her hands, “Sure…I’ll try dad”, she promised him.

“Oh, by the way, Ray will be staying in the room next to yours”, Sam said before he closed her bedroom door behind him.

You’ve got to be kidding me, Liz thought as she grabbed a pillow, held it to her face and screamed.


	3. A New Threat

When Liz woke up the next morning she was hoping that it was all just a bad dream but when she walked into the kitchen she knew that it wasn’t. 

Her father was sitting at the table having breakfast and talking to Ray.

“Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?” Sam inquired.

“Uh-huh” Liz said while eyeing Ray. He was sitting next to her dad, again immaculately dressed. He looked up from his breakfast and gave her a smile.

“Good morning, Elizabeth” he said.

“Morning”, she replied as she walked to the fridge to get some milk for her cereal.

“So, can I actually go out and do something today or am I housebound again?” Liz asked, not able to keep the frustration out of her tone.

“Well, Ray and I were just talking about that. We went through all the details yesterday so it would be okay if you want to make some plans for today. Just keep in mind that you can’t just go and do whatever you want, okay? And always tell Ray about your plans and don’t go anywhere without him” Sam explained.

“So I can call someone to go shopping later today?”, Liz asked, ignoring her father’s question.

“Sure” Ray said, “just let me know what time you’d like to leave and I’ll be ready to accompany you”.

After finishing her breakfast Liz went up to her room to call one of her close friends.  
“Samar! Hey, how are you? Do you want to go shopping today?”

“Hi Liz! Yes, that sounds great. It seems ages ago that we saw each other”, Samar answered.

They decided to meet at eleven a.m. at the entrance of the Cooper Mall.

As she hung up Liz ran down the stairs looking for Ray. She found him still in the kitchen, talking to her dad. She announced that they needed to be at the mall at eleven so they should leave at about ten thirty. She kissed her dad on his cheek “Bye dad” and ran out of the kitchen back to her room.

She needed to be on her own for a while before they left, cause she knew she would be in Ray’s company for the rest of the day. She sat on her bed, put on her headphones and started listening to her favourite music.

When it was time to go Liz was standing impatiently at the door, waiting for Ray, her huge handbag hanging from her forearm.

“Ray, come on, let’s go!” she yelled loudly, tapping her foot on the marble floor.  
Argh, why can’t he just be on time, Liz thought, annoyed.

She almost jumped a mile in the air when suddenly the front door opened and Ray peeked his head around it “Are you ready to go? Been waiting here for you”

“Yes, I am”, she sniffed as she walked past him towards her car, which was already parked in the driveway.

When they got to the car they both walked over to the driver’s side.  
From behind his sunglasses Ray raised an eyebrow questioningly and held up his hand to receive the keys from Liz. She didn’t hand them over but instead said “But I always drive myself”

“Not anymore I’m afraid”, Ray responded, “I need to be in control, Elizabeth. At all times”.

Liz wanted to get into a discussion but decided not to, because she knew that in the end he would win anyway. With a sigh she handed Ray the car keys and walked over to the passenger’s side.

After adjusting the seat and mirrors of the black Audi TT Ray turned the ignition and drove off the property. 

They didn’t say a word during the twenty minute drive and, after looking for a strategic parking spot, they arrived at the entrance with 5 minutes to spare.

“So, how does this work?” Liz asked, “Will you be walking with us the entire time?”

“No, not with you but somewhere behind you. You just go and have a good time with your friend and I will try to make myself as invisible as possible, okay?” Ray said, “Although it would be a good idea to tell your friend about me. That way she won’t be thinking that I’m stalking you”, he smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yes, I will tell her. I just don’t want her to worry and think that it’s unsafe to hang out with me”, Liz said with a sad face.

“I understand, Elizabeth. But I’m afraid that that’s the situation you are in right now and until we find out who sent those letters we will need to be careful. And it’s best that your friends know about it too”.

“I understand…oh, there she is…Samar!” Liz shouted excitedly, walking towards her friend. They shared a long embrace before they started talking. Ray couldn’t hear about what but when he saw Liz pointing at him he knew well enough.

The two women walked towards him and Liz introduced Samar to Ray.  
“This is Ray, he’s going to be my bodyguard for now”

“Nice to meet you Ray”, Samar said while shaking his hand and taking him in from head to toe.

“Nice to meet you Samar. As I already told Elizabeth, I will be keeping my distance, you’ll hardly notice that I’m here”

As they walked into the mall and went into the first store, Liz already barely remembered the fact that Ray was there because she couldn’t wait to do some serious shopping.

While they were trying on some clothes, Samar sneaked into Liz’s fitting room.  
“So what’s the deal with this Ray, huh?” she asked Liz.

“What do you mean? I told you that he is just here to keep an eye on me”

“Yes, you told me. And I think that is exactly what he’s doing, if you know what I mean”, she giggled whilst wiggling her eyebrows.

“What are you talking about? You’ve got to be kidding me”, Liz exclaimed.

“Come on, you’ve got to admit that he looks really hot in that suit and those sunglasses, mmmm” Samar said, while poking Liz.

“Stop it! That’s so not funny! Besides, he is way too old and too serious if you ask me”

“Too old? Girl, you’ll be 28 next week. I think you can handle a man his age, Liz”

“That’s enough, Samar, please stop this nonsense and go try on your clothes”, Liz said whilst pushing Samar out of her dressing room. 

When she was on her own she couldn’t help but think about Samar’s words. Was he really that handsome? Liz had noticed his nice suits and the way he looked in them but hadn’t really paid attention to Ray himself.

As Liz and Samar tried on some dresses, Ray stood at the entrance of the dressing rooms and caught a few glimpses of Liz in a dress. He couldn’t help but notice that she looked good in them and how radiant she looked whilst interacting with her friend. Far more attractive than the hateful looks she gave him.

At one point Liz looked up and caught Ray looking at her. She automatically blushed and dove away into her dressing room.  
Ugh, why did he have to look at her that way? Was he checking her out? She certainly hoped not.

They went in and out of stores and before long they were carrying lots of bags and it was still only just lunchtime. 

“Good score so far”, Liz laughed, looking at their bags.

“Yes! But let’s get something to eat, okay? All that shopping has made me hungry”

They sat in a small restaurant and Ray didn’t have much choice but to sit close to their table.

He didn’t want to listen in on their conversation and he hadn’t so far but sitting this close, he couldn’t help but overhear a few things.

“So, have you thought about a present yet? I mean, your birthday is only like a week away now and you still haven’t told me what you want”, Ray heard Samar say.

“I don’t know…it’s so hard to think of anything…” Liz said to Samar, “Why don’t we just go to the spa or something, your treat”.

“We could do that, but I’d rather buy you a present. If only I could buy you a man”, Samar grinned, “You could use a nice guy’s company after that bastard Tom”

Hmm, sitting this close definitely made for good information, Ray thought. He already found out that it was her birthday next week and that she broke up with some bastard named Tom.

They ordered some food and during their meal Ray learned about Kim and Meera, two other close friends of Liz’s and Samar’s and about Liz’s plans to throw a birthday party.

After lunch they resumed their shopping and at around four p.m. they turned to Ray, saying they were ready to go home.

Finally, Ray thought. He had grown tired of going in and out of shops hours ago. But since he was getting paid to go wherever Liz went, he couldn’t complain.

As they exited the mall and walked towards the car, a guy came walking towards Liz.

“Liz, hey, Liz” he yelled.

When he came closer it only took Ray mere seconds to grab the guy from behind and hold his arms behind his back. He was just about to push the guy to the ground when Liz reacted.

“Ray! What the hell are you doing? Let him go!”, Liz started pulling Ray’s arm.

“You know this guy?” Ray asked, loosening the tight grip he had on the guy’s arms.

“Yes, I do! We took math class together”, Liz explained while putting a hand on the guy’s shoulder after Ray released him, “Are you okay, Donald? I’m so sorry about this”.

“Yeah, I’m fine”, Donald grunted, giving Ray a deadly look, “What the hell was that all about?”

“Ehm, well, this is Ray and he is looking out for me for a while”

Liz explained what was going on and even though he was still a bit pissed off, Donald understood the situation.

“Well, good luck with that Liz. I hope they’ll catch the guy soon”, Donald said before taking off.

They continued their way to the car and Samar whispered in Liz’s ear “Oh my god, did you see that? How quick Ray reacted? How hot was that?”

“Hmpf, please. If he’s trying to impress me, it really didn’t work. He just attacked one of my friends” Liz whispered back.

“Oh, come on Liz. He didn’t know it was a friend. At least now you know how serious he is about protecting you”, she said with a wink.

“I guess…”Liz responded.

Liz and Samar said their goodbyes and Ray and Liz drove home in silence, just like that morning on their way to the mall.

“Sorry…I didn’t know you knew him”, Ray broke the silence when they were almost at the house, “But I was just doing my job”

“I know you were, it’s just…I guess I just didn’t see it coming. I really have to get used to this whole security thing”, Liz muttered.

“It’s okay, I understand. Just try to warn me next time someone comes up to you and you know that person”

Liz promised that she would. Ray parked the car in the garage and switched off the engine, “I guess it takes some getting used to for the both of us”, Ray said with a smile as they got out of the car.

They walked in and Liz went straight to her room to drop off the bags of clothing and accessories that she bought. 

Ray loosened his tie while walking to the kitchen to fetch a drink.  
He greeted Martha, the cook, and walked out on the terrace, drink in hand.

He heard a car and saw that Sam was already home from work. Ray decided to walk back in and talk to Sam about what happened today before Liz had the chance to do so.

The two men greeted each other and sat at the kitchen table while Martha started making dinner.

Ray started talking about the day Liz and he had had while Sam was sifting through the mail. Suddenly his hands stopped and all colour drained from his face.

Ray noticed it. “Sam, what’s wrong?”

“This envelope, this handwriting….I recognise it”, he said with a voice not much louder than a whisper. 

Ray immediately took the envelope from Sam, careful not to touch it much so as not to leave any of his own fingerprints on it. He grabbed a knife from the counter and carefully opened the envelope on the side.

When he shook it, a picture fell out on the table. The front of the picture was facing the table, so they couldn’t see what was on it.

Ray used the knife to slide under the picture and carefully flip it over.

It was a picture of Liz sitting at the pool. It was from quite a distance but it must have been taken from inside the walls of the property.

“You know what this means, right?” Ray asked Sam, who was still in shock, staring at the picture, “Someone was inside these walls”.

Sam just nodded his head, unable to speak. All this time he thought his daughter would be safe inside but now he knew that even that wasn’t the case.

“Sam, do you know when this picture was taken?” Ray asked Sam, putting a hand on his friend’s arm.

“Ehm, no, you should ask Liz. I’m sure she knows when she was out by the pool”

Right on cue Liz walked into the kitchen “Hey dad. You’re home early” she quipped as she kissed him on his cheek.

It was only then that she noticed the strained looks on the men’s faces.  
She was about to ask what was wrong when she saw the picture lying on the table.

“What the hell?” she said and was going for the picture to get a closer look.

“No, Elizabeth, don’t touch it!” Ray exclaimed as he pushed her hand away just in time, “There might be prints on that photo, we can’t touch it”  
“It just came in the mail”, Ray explained to her, “It’s probably from the same guy as the letters. He is showing off. Letting us know how close he can get”

“But, but, this was here, at the pool. And he was right there!” Liz’s eyes became big and full of fear.

“Yes, I know… Can you tell me when this happened? When were you at the pool?”

“I don’t know, I go there once in a while but not very often…. but hold on” Liz said as she took a closer look, “That was two days ago! I know because I’m wearing my new bikini”

After establishing when and from where the picture was taken Sam decided that he would call the police first thing in the morning.

They had dinner and there were a few uncomfortable silences. Everybody was thinking about the picture and what it meant. Ray could tell that Sam and Liz were shaken by the fact that someone had climbed their walls.

Ray now knew that this guy was serious and he would have to be extra careful and attentive from now on.

When Liz was going to bed, she kissed her dad goodnight and said goodnight to Ray before heading upstairs. When she got to her room, she couldn’t help but look at the door of the room next to hers. Ray’s room. For the first time since he arrived, she was actually glad to have him here….


	4. An Unwelcome Visitor

The next morning they all met at the kitchen table again.

“Good morning butterball. Did you get any sleep?” Sam inquired when Liz walked in.

“It took me a while to get to sleep but yes, I slept okay”, she said as she kissed her dad on his cheek, their morning ritual. 

“Good morning, Ray”, she said as she sat next to him at the table.

“Good morning, Elizabeth. Glad to hear you slept well” Ray responded.

“Yes, I am happy to hear that as well, because I was afraid that last night’s events might have kept you up”, Sam said.

“Well, of course I thought about it for a while but knowing that Ray is here now, I think I shouldn’t be too worried”, Liz said bravely, nudging Ray’s arm with her own.

“I agree. I’m very thankful that Ray is here with us”, Sam said as he got up, “I am off to the police station to see if there’s something they can do with this picture and then I’m off to work. Do you have any plans for today?” he asked Liz.

“No…strangely enough I don’t really feel like going anywhere today” Liz said, “I might call someone and ask them to come over”

“That’s a great idea, honey”, Sam said as he got his briefcase and walked towards Liz for another kiss on the cheek, “Oh, by the way, have you thought about what you want to do next week, for your birthday?” 

“Hmm, not sure yet, dad. Was thinking about going to a club, having a nice night out but I’m not so sure that’s what I want anymore. I’ll give it some more thought and let you know, okay?”

“Sure. Have a nice day, you two”.

“Bye”, Liz and Ray said in unison. 

After Sam had left, Ray turned to Liz, “Why don’t you want to go to the club anymore? Is it because of what happened?”

Liz looked at her hands; her fingers entwined “Yeah, I guess so… this whole thing just takes the fun out of everything”

“I understand that that’s how you feel but you can’t let that guy win. If you want to have a night out in a club with your friends, I am sure we can arrange that. We could hire a part of that club, get some security in place and only let people with an invitation in. We can make it work”.

“Aaww, thank you, but I’m just not sure whether that’s what I want. Maybe we could have the party here at the house, have a BBQ and a pool party or something” 

“That could work. But like I said, it’s your birthday and if we can make the security work, we can do whatever you want to do”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll think about it”, Liz said, “But now I’m going to call a friend and see if she can come over”

Liz called Meera and they agreed on a time for her to come over to the house.

While Liz went upstairs, Ray went outside and walked towards the pool, phone in hand. He had taken a picture of the photo that was sent in the mail yesterday and tried to establish from where exactly the photo was taken.

He saw the sunbed Liz had used in the picture and he walked past it, towards the direction he thought the perpetrator would have been standing.

Once he found the spot, he looked around to see what the easiest point of entrance would have been and walked towards the wall closest to him. He got to the wall and he saw some marks against the bricks and thought that they were probably from shoes climbing the wall. 

After checking the rest of the wall and fences, he was reassured that there was no damage done and walked back towards the house.

He walked in and called for Liz, “Elizabeth!” No answer. He walked upstairs, thinking she was in her room and knocked on her door. “Elizabeth?”  
When he heard no answer he slowly pushed open the door only to find an empty bedroom.

“Elizabeth, where are you?” he shouted as he felt his heart rate climb. Where did she go? Did she go out without him?

He searched every room on the top floor, even the ones where he already guessed she wouldn’t be. He tried to stay calm, telling himself that it was a big house and she could be anywhere but he couldn’t help but start to feel slightly panicked.

He ran back downstairs, still calling for her, still no answer. He looked through the big glass windows, hoping she went outside but there was nobody there.

He looked in the kitchen, the living room and even the gym, even though he knew he wouldn’t find her there because she didn’t like to work out.

There was one place he hadn’t checked yet and he quickly made his way over to the cinema. He opened the door and looked inside. It was dark and it looked like no one was there. He was about to close the door again when he saw some light from the back of the room. “Elizabeth?”

“Yes, I’m here, at the back” he heard Liz say.

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, forcing his heart to calm down.

He walked towards the dim light in the back and found her sitting on the floor, sifting through movies.

“Hey, I was just trying to figure out what movie to watch”, Liz looked up at him, “You want to watch one with me?”

“Didn’t you hear me call?” Ray asked her, trying to hide his annoyance from her.

“Ehm, no I didn’t, sorry. This room is soundproof, so no sounds get in or out”

“Right. I should’ve thought about that”, Ray sighed, “And sure, I’ll watch a movie with you”.

“Okay, so I was thinking either ‘The Avengers’ or ‘How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days’”

“You’d watch ‘The Avengers’?” Ray looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I like Marvel. Don’t judge me!” Liz said playfully.

“I’m not judging you, I’m just…. surprised I guess”

“Good. So ‘The Avengers’ it is”, Liz said while getting up, movie in hand.

They went to the kitchen first, to fix some drinks and get some snacks and settled in the big, comfortable seats in the cinema.

During the movie Liz couldn’t help but glance in Ray’s direction a couple of times. He seemed so relaxed and comfortable and it was the first time Liz noticed how handsome he really was.

After the movie ended, they got their stuff and walked to the kitchen side by side, chatting about the movie.

Hmm, she might actually be a nice person after all, Ray thought to himself, grateful that Liz was accepting his presence.

“Okay, so Meera will be here soon. She is one of my close friends. We will be going to lie at the pool I think”, Liz told Ray, “I know that the picture was taken there but I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t hang out at the pool. I don’t want to make Meera feel uncomfortable”

“No, of course, I understand. But I’ll need to keep an eye out now and again. I’ll try to do it in a way that won’t disturb you or your friend, don’t worry”

When Meera arrived, Liz introduced her to Ray before they made their way to the pool. As they were putting their towels down Liz was telling Meera what happened and why Ray was at the house.

Ray checked on the women a couple of times but as he had promised he did it in a way that they wouldn’t notice. He watched them from a bedroom window from the top floor. That way he had a good view of the property surrounding the pool.

The third time he went to check he couldn’t help but notice the two women as well as their surroundings. They were both quite beautiful and yet very different. Meera had nice, light brown skin and was significantly shorter than Liz.

Liz had light, cream coloured skin that seemed to glow in the sun. Ray couldn’t help but stare at her in her skimpy, black bikini. She had just taken a dive in the pool and drops of water were falling off her body as she lay on her sunbed. Her hair wet and smooth.

Ray stepped away from the window, not allowing himself to watch her any longer than he already had. He went downstairs and out of the house, using the back entrance, which was locked. He wanted to have a walk through the gardens.

Just as he made his way past the pool, making sure that the women wouldn’t see him, he saw a man coming from the front side of the house, walking towards the pool area.

Ray ran around the other side, so that he could approach the man from behind.  
The guy, about 30 years old Ray guessed, was only a few feet away from Meera and Liz when Ray grabbed him from behind, pushing him to the ground.

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” Ray asked the man, while leaning his elbow on the guy’s face.

“Oh my god, Tom!” Ray heard Liz yelp and he looked up to see that both women were on their feet, wrapping their towels around themselves.

“Don’t tell me you know this guy?”, Ray asked Liz as he got up, lifting the guy to his feet.

“Well, yes, that’s Tom, my ex boyfriend”, Liz said to Ray, “Although I don’t know what the hell he is doing here!”, she continued, giving Tom a dirty look.

“Look, Liz, I just want to talk to you” Tom said, while trying to yank his arm from Ray’s tight grip.

“No, there is nothing left to say, Tom”, Liz said while she glanced down, uncomfortable with the situation. 

“How can you say that? You know that breaking up was a mistake. We belong together Liz and I want you back. Let’s just get back together, okay?” Tom begged.

Ray saw the pain on Liz’s face and decided to make the decision for her. 

“I’ll see him out for you, Elizabeth” he said, before turning on his heels, not taking his hand off Tom’s arm, “Let’s go, buddy”

“How did you get in here anyway?” Ray asked Tom as he led him to the front gates.

“What do you think asshole? The guards know me so of course they let me in”, Tom spat.

“Well, today was the last time that’ll happen, I can assure you that”, Ray said as he walked up to the guards at the gate. “Okay, listen guys, today was the last time you let this guy in. He and Elizabeth are no longer together and she wishes not to see him anymore”.

Before letting go of Tom’s arm, Ray pulled him closer and whispered in his ear “If you ever come close to Elizabeth again or hurt her in any way, I will find you”

“Is that a threat, jerk? Tom exclaimed.

“No, it’s a promise”, Ray responded as he pushed him out of the gates.

In the meantime Liz and Meera sat on their sunbeds, Liz with tears in her eyes.

“Are you okay sweetie?”, Meera asked as she sat next to Liz, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just never expected him to show up here, that’s all”, she sniffed, desperately holding back her tears and emotions.

Her break up with Tom hadn’t been very amicable and he had hurt her in many ways. Not only did Liz find out that Tom had cheated on her with more than one girl but he had also told his friends details about the things they’d done together in the bedroom and even shared a picture with their friends, that had the two of them lying in bed.

She couldn’t believe she ever fell for his lousy charms anyways but she guessed that it was a combination of him being handsome, rich, having loads of friends and a crazy lifestyle.

“Hey, are you okay”, Ray’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.  
He crouched in front of her, one hand covering hers that was next to her on the sunbed.

“Ehm, yes, I think so. Thank you for doing that” she said as she looked up, looking him in the eye. 

“Hey, that’s what I’m here for, remember? Ray said with a smile, “I’ll fetch you ladies a cold drink, hold on”

When he walked away both women stared at him until he disappeared inside the house.

“Girl! Wasn’t that something? The way he just handled Tom, I mean, wow!” Meera said, “I could use someone to protect me like that as well. Where do I get one of those? www.hotbodyguard.com?” she giggled.

Liz couldn’t help but laugh about her friend’s good humour. But yes, she was very glad that Ray was around and yes, she did notice his beautiful green eyes just now.

Ray came back carrying two glasses of what seemed like a smoothie of some sort.  
“I found a jug of this in the fridge and it looked nice and cold”, Ray said while handing the women their drinks. “Enjoy”

“Thank you, Ray” Liz said, “For everything”

Ray looked at her and tilted his head. “You’re very welcome, Elizabeth”, he said before returning to the house.

That evening Liz told her dad what had happened and Sam couldn’t help but smile at Ray’s actions. “Well, it looks like we won’t see that guy back here again” Sam said, while sticking up his thumb to Ray.

When later that night Liz announced she was going to bed, Ray said he was tired as well and joined Liz in her walk upstairs while Sam stayed in his office to do some more paperwork. 

When they got to Liz’s room, there was an awkward moment where neither one of them knew what to say or do.

So Liz just did what she had felt like doing that afternoon at the pool.  
She stepped closer and gave Ray a hug. She whispered a quick “Thanks again” and before Ray even realised what was going on, Liz had already released him, opened her door, said goodnight and gone inside.

Ray stood there for a second, trying to register what just happened, before walking towards the next door and going into his own bedroom.


	5. A Day At The Beach

Liz was dying to get out of the house again, so that morning at breakfast she asked if it was possible to go to the beach, since it was going to be a sunny day.

“The beach? That sounds lovely! If only I didn’t have to work so I could go with you”, Sam said with a sad look on his face.

“That’s your own fault, dad”, Liz said, standing next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, “You work too hard and take too little time off”.

Ray couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. He liked to see how close they were.

“Well, if I don’t do it, no one will, sweetheart. But I will promise to take a day off next week, okay?”

“Yay!” Liz exclaimed as she hugged her father, “That’s great. Thanks dad”.

After calling Samar, Meera and Kim, only Meera was available to go to the beach that day.

“I hope you don’t mind going” Liz asked Ray as he was reading the newspaper “I never even asked whether you like going to the beach”.

“Hahaha, since when is it important what I like, Elizabeth? I go where you go, remember? That’s how this works” Ray gave Liz a broad smile, “But thank you for asking and yes, I do like the beach. I’m just not a big fan of sunbathing”

“I do like getting a tan but I prefer to do that here, at the poolside. Besides it’s too hot anyway to be lying in the sun, we would probably burn to a crisp. But I thought it would be nice to just have a walk along the shore, maybe have a drink somewhere, you know, just relax” Liz said.

“Great, let me know what time you want to go” 

When Meera arrived at 10:30, Ray and Liz grabbed their stuff, put everything in the trunk of Liz’s car and headed to the beach. Meera sat in the back of the car so they only had one car to park as it was probably going to be busy.

After about half an hour’s drive they arrived and as they had suspected, it was already very crowded. They drove around for several minutes before they got lucky when a car drove off, offering them a space to park.

They got out and immediately got hit by the heat.

“Wow, it really is very warm today… Good thing there’s a bit of a breeze” Ray said as he went for the bottle of sunscreen in his bag.

He started to rub his arms and legs with lotion and Liz couldn’t help but stare. Not only because he wasn’t wearing a suit today but a nice pair of blue shorts and a white t-shirt, but also because his muscles were really defined in these clothes.

“Could you do my back, please?” Meera asked Liz, ripping her out of her trance-like stare.

She handed Liz a bottle of lotion and Liz poured some on her hand before rubbing it on Meera’s back.

When Liz was done, Meera helped Liz by doing her back. Liz took off her top and put it in her bag. She was now only wearing her bikini top and a skirt. 

After everyone had had their lotion treatment, they headed off to the beach. The girls only took their towel with them and Ray was carrying a backpack with his towel and some drinks and snacks.

It was a huge beach but there were people as far as they could see. They decided to walk towards the water first and then walk along the shore.

Ray walked behind the women so they could talk and he could keep an eye out.  
Because it was so busy, it was quite hard for Ray to see if there was anyone out of place but he tried anyway, using his training.

After they walked for about 20 minutes they were all thirsty but instead of taking the drinks from Ray’s backpack, they decided to walk to the restaurant that was situated right at the beach.

They settled on the terrace and Ray was about to go and sit a few tables from Liz and Meera when Liz motioned with her hand that he should come and sit with them.

“Are you sure?” Ray asked as he walked up to the table where the girls had sat down, “I don’t mind having to sit separately”

“No, don’t be silly, just come and sit here” Liz said as she pulled out a chair next to her.

All of them turned their chairs so they were all facing the beach. 

“Ahhh, this is the life” Liz sighed as she lay back in the chair, her eyes closed, her face in the sun. 

“Yes it is” Meera agreed, mimicking Liz’s moves.

Ray looked to his side and focused on Liz’s face. Wow, she really is very beautiful, he thought as he looked at her with a slight smile.

Meera peeked through her eyelashes and caught Ray staring at Liz. She closed her eyes again and smiled to herself. Hmmm, interesting, she thought.

After they ordered their drinks they started talking and Liz’s birthday party came up. 

“So, have you made up your mind yet?” Meera inquired, “It’s only three days away you know”

“Haha, yes, I do know. I am well aware of when my birthday is, thank you” Liz giggled, “And yes, I thought about it and I want to have a party at the house. I want to keep it small and only invite my best friends and a few people from school who I‘m still in touch with. 

“So, aren’t you a little late with the invitations then? If it’s only three days from now, it’s possible that people have other plans already” Ray asked Liz.

“No. They know it’s my birthday and I already spoke to people about it. I just told them I didn’t know what the plans were yet but that there would be a party either way”.

“Okay, very smart”, Ray smiled and he was relieved that the party would be at the house. It was nice of Liz to have informed her friends about a party but it would’ve been next to impossible for him to arrange something in a club on such short notice. At the house it wouldn’t be a problem. They had the standard guys at the gates and he would arrange a few more men for inside, although that probably wouldn’t even be necessary.

They were loving it so much on the terrace that they ordered another drink and asked for the lunch menu.

Liz felt the sun start to burn, so she went for her bottle of sunscreen in the backpack. Just as she was about to ask Meera to rub her back and shoulders, Meera got up to use the bathroom.  
Liz started to put lotion on her arms and legs and tried to take her time so Meera would be back but by the time she had finished Meera still wasn’t in sight.

“Erm, would you mind?” Liz almost whispered to Ray, holding out the bottle of lotion to him.

“Oh, of course”, Ray took the bottle from her and squirted some lotion on his hand. Liz had turned her back towards him and he rubbed his hands together before running them over Liz’s back and shoulders.

The unexpected tenderness of his touch moved Liz and she closed her eyes. His strong fingers touched her so gently as she felt him rub her neck, shoulders and back. He even lifted her bikini straps with one hand so he could move the other hand over her skin underneath.

Ray was enjoying this much more than he should. He loved the feeling of her soft, warm skin underneath his fingers. He took his time on purpose and hoped Liz wouldn’t notice.

He was just finished when Meera came walking back. She saw the bottle of lotion in Liz’s hand “Oh, here, give me that, I’ll do your back again” she offered.

“That’s okay, Meera, it’s already done” Liz smiled.

They had lunch and Ray ate a club sandwich while Meera and Liz both had a caesar salad.

After Ray paid the bill, they took off, walking some more along the shore. Liz took her sandals off and started walking through the water, which would come and go with the waves. Meera bent over and splashed Liz with some water. Liz squeaked from the sudden feeling of the cold water and immediately took revenge by splashing back.

Ray watched the two women and smiled at their playfulness. He loved seeing Liz carefree after all the trouble she had been through lately.

As he watched the two running off and splashing each other, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. A guy, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, was observing Liz and Meera. Ray could’ve sworn that he’d seen this guy earlier today and decided to keep an eye on him.

As Liz and Meera ran further and further, it was a good test for Ray to see if the guy was just a beach goer or if he was there for other reasons. Ray started walking faster to keep up with the girls and he saw the guy doing the same.

As both men got closer to the women, the guy with the baseball cap took a camera out of his pocket and started taking pictures. Of Liz and Meera.  
Unfortunately the guy was too far away for Ray to get a clear look at his face or other features. 

Ray was about to walk towards him when the guy actually spotted Ray and started to walk off in the opposite direction. It was too busy on the beach for Ray to be able to make it to the guy quickly. Damn it, Ray thought, knowing this was a missed opportunity to find out who he was. 

He decided not to tell Liz right now, because she was having such a good time and it wouldn’t make a difference anyway. He watched the guy walk off and decided to make his way back to the women.

As he got closer he could only see Meera. She was smiling at Ray and asked him where he had been. 

 

“I’ve been watching the crowd a bit” he said, hoping she wouldn’t ask more questions.

Ray had just asked Meera ”Where’s Liz?”, when all of a sudden he felt a cold splash of water from behind.  
“Never mind”, he said to Meera, as he turned around and saw Liz smiling at him.

“Sorry, I just thought you looked a little hot and could use some water to cool off”, she giggled, before realizing what she’d just said.

Ray raised an eyebrow and smiled back. “Oh really?” he said while slowly walking towards Liz. “Well, you look pretty hot yourself” Ray said while bending over and splashing Liz with a huge amount of water.

“Ahhh” Liz yelped as she tried to run off, her attempt in vain. Ray was a lot faster and ran after her still splashing her every time the waves brought water to shore. Meera ran after the two, smiling at the scene in front of her. 

Liz was breathing heavily by the time they had stopped their antics. She was also soaking wet and laughing uncontrollably. Meera had finally caught up with the two of them and was laughing just as hard.

“Wow, I had no idea you could run that fast, Liz” she huffed as she was trying to catch her breath.

“If only I could run faster”, Liz responded, “Ray caught up with me so easily!”

Ray looked at her over his sunglasses, not having any trouble breathing.  
“Well, maybe next time you should be more careful who you pick your battles with”, he chuckled. 

After drying themselves off and cleaning up a bit, they drove back to the house.

Meera stayed for dinner and they all had a great evening talking and laughing.

After Meera went home and Liz went upstairs to take a much-needed shower, Ray took a moment to talk to Sam about that day.

“I’m so sorry, Sam, that I didn’t get the chance to get to that guy”, Ray said after telling Sam what had happened, “I know it could have been just a guy taking pictures of beautiful women but it also could’ve been the guy we’re looking for”.

Sam looked at Ray “Look, don’t blame yourself, okay? I know that if you could have gotten to him, that you would have. The situation didn’t allow you to, so let’s not dwell on that”.

They spoke some more before Ray decided to go and take a shower as well.

He went to his room and went into his adjoining bathroom. He was stripped down to his boxers when he heard a scream coming from Liz’s room.

He immediately shot out of his bathroom, through his room, out the door and into Liz’s room. He didn’t even think to knock on her door.

“Elizabeth!”, he yelled while storming in.

Liz stood there in her pyjamas, a tank top and a pair of shorts, and had a towel wrapped on her head. She looked at him with big eyes but slowly seemed to calm down. She looked at him, her eyes going up and down his body.

Ray only then realised that he was standing there in nothing but his boxers.

The way Liz looked at him made him blush slightly but he tried to focus.  
“Elizabeth, what’s going on? Why did you scream?”

“Uh, what? Oh right, well, look!” Liz stammered while pointing at the wall.

Ray followed Liz’s finger and saw a big, black spider sitting on the wall, near the ceiling.  
He closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, I see” he said as he glanced around the room.

He grabbed a chair to stand on and carefully scooped up the spider.  
“I’ll take him outside” Ray said as he turned and walked out of Liz’s room, “Goodnight”.

“Thank you! And goodnight, Ray”, Liz said, watching him until he disappeared from view.

Liz sat down on her bed, thinking what could have happened to Ray. Because when he walked out of her room, she’d seen burn scars on his back…


	6. The Party

It was the morning of Liz’s birthday and Liz had put on her nicest dress before going downstairs to have breakfast.

When she entered the kitchen, Sam and Ray were already waiting for her.

“Happy Birthday!”, They said in unison and both got up to congratulate her.

“Happy birthday, Butterball” Sam whispered in Liz’s ear as he held her tight, “I can’t believe my little girl is 28 already”

“Aaww, dad, I’ll always be your little girl” Liz said while kissing her dad on his cheek.

It was Ray’s turn to congratulate the birthday girl and he kissed Liz on both cheeks “Happy birthday, Elizabeth” he said before giving her a small package.

“You bought me a present?” Liz asked surprised, “You shouldn’t have, Ray. And please, it’s time you started calling me Liz” she said with a smile.

She quickly opened her gift and it was a bottle of Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘Pour Femme’. “Oh, thank you so much”, Liz said before giving Ray a hug.

It was clear the two men had tried their best to make Liz a special breakfast. Instead of the usual cereal and milk, there were warm cinnamon rolls, croissants and donuts and freshly squeezed orange juice.

“Oh, this looks really good guys” Liz said before she took a big bite out of a donut with sprinkles. 

While they were eating away, Liz asked Sam curiously “So, dad, where is your present?”

“Hahaha, I already wondered how long it would take for you to ask me that” Sam laughed, “To be honest I had a hard time thinking of something until Ray and I got talking” he said mysteriously.

Liz looked from her dad to Ray and back again “And???” she asked impatiently.

“Well, I thought that maybe you would like to take a few helicopter flying lessons?” 

Liz eyes grew big “What? Are you for real? That’s awesome!” she yelped as she threw herself around her dad’s neck. “Thank you, dad!”

“You’re welcome, pumpkin” Sam smiled at his daughter.

“But wait…. whose idea was this?” Liz asked, looking at her father and then at Ray again.

“I guess it was both of ours” Sam said “Because can you guess who is going to give you the lessons?”

“Ehm, no, cause I don’t know anybody who can fly a helicopter”

Ray gave her a big smile “I’ll teach you”

“Wait, what? You know how to fly a helicopter?” Liz asked in disbelief.

“Yes I do. Before I was in the Secret Service I served with the Marines and I was a helicopter pilot for a couple of years”

“Wow, that is so cool….” Liz looked at him in awe.

“Yes, it was. I had a great time serving our country” Ray said with pride.

After breakfast they started to clean up “Dad, don’t you have to go to work now?”

Sam looked at Liz and smiled “No, sweetie, I took the day off so I could spend some time with you. I was hoping we could play some tennis now. It has been ages that we played”

“You have the day off? That’s great! And yes, I would love to beat you at tennis again” Liz laughed.

“Beat me? Oh, we’ll see about that! Go get changed and I’ll see you on the court in 15 minutes”

Liz ran upstairs to get changed and just before doing the same Sam said “This should buy you some time to bake that cake for her”

“Yes, thank you for that. I hope she likes Red Velvet” Ray said.

“Oh, yes she does” Sam said as he walked out of the kitchen.

While Liz and Sam were going head to head on the tennis court, Ray was busy baking his speciality cake for Liz. He loved being in the kitchen and wished he could cook more often.

He had made this cake several times for family reunions and it was always a big hit. He made this one bigger than his usual one and decided to decorate it accordingly. 

Liz had invited about 15 people. Her closest friends and some people from school that she was still in touch with. So therefore the cake had to be for at least 20 people if he counted them and the security at the gate. They deserved a piece of cake as well.

He thought about having security at the house and he spoke about it with Sam, but they decided against it since the party would be at the house and only people with an invitation were allowed in.

Ray himself would be there of course and he thought that would be enough.

After finishing the cake, he cleaned up and was just on time because he heard Sam and Liz enter the house through the side doors. They were talking and laughing.

“I told you I would beat you” Ray heard Liz say and Sam responded, “Yeah, well, you cheated and that’s the only reason you won”

“I did not!” Liz exclaimed and he heard them laugh as he came out of the kitchen.

“Elizabeth, er, Liz, you wanted to have the party outside as well, right? Because I just realised that there are no decorations in the pool area yet, only on the inside” Ray asked Liz, swallowing hard as he noticed her tennis outfit and sweaty appearance. 

“Well, yeah, of course I want to have decorations there. What good is a pool party without decorations at the pool? I’m going to take a shower now” she said before turning on her heels and going for the stairs.

Ray looked at Sam, his eyebrows raised “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t. Liz is just used to having everything done for her. Martha usually helps me decorating everything but I wanted to give her the day off, so I guess you and I didn’t do as good a job as Martha does”

“Okay, well, then I guess I better get started” Ray said, “We still have loads of decorations left so it will look great once we’re done”

“Great, I’ll go upstairs and have a quick shower and change and I’ll be back to help you” Sam said, slapping Ray on his shoulder, “Thank you for doing all this Ray, I know this isn’t part of your job description”

“Hey, no problem. I’m happy to do it” Ray smiled.

“Oh, and please don’t take Liz’s behaviour personally. She sometimes behaves like a spoiled kid. I guess I have myself to blame for that” Sam said with a wry smile, “She doesn’t mean it, she just doesn’t know better”

“That’s okay, Sam. I understand”

While Sam went upstairs for a shower, Ray got the ladder out, dug up a bag with some more decorations and headed outside to the pool area.

He used a pump to blow up some balloons before putting a string around them and attaching them from one side of the pool to the other.

He was just up the ladder trying to fix the string around a palm tree when Liz walked outside, back in her gorgeous dress. She walked towards the ladder and stopped a few feet away to take a look at what Ray was doing.

But while looking at what Ray’s hands were doing, her eyes drifted to his ass.  
He had one foot one step up from the other, as he leaned over to attach the string, so his pants were pulled tight and his lovely, round butt was showing beautifully. 

Man, Liz thought, that is a fine ass for an older guy. And her mind started to drift off about her hands cupping and squeezing it.

“Hey there” Ray said when his eye caught Liz, “After I hang these balloons, I’ll hang some more decorations over there and there”, he pointed.

Ray’s voice startled Liz and she started blushing, afraid that she had gotten caught staring. “Ehh, that’s fine,” she said as she quickly walked off, too embarrassed to stay any longer. 

On her way in she almost bumped into her father “Woah, what’s the rush?” Sam asked when he saw Liz scurry inside. 

“Oh, nothing” she said but when she was out of her dad’s sight, she practically ran upstairs.

Sam shook his head. What was wrong with his little girl today, he wondered.

When Liz got to her room, she sat on her bed, her head in her hands and feeling very confused. What was wrong with her? How could she be looking at Ray like that? No way was she falling for a guy almost 20 years her senior? It must be because of the things Meera and Samar had been saying about Ray... 

She let out a heavy sigh and let herself fall back on her bed. It will pass, she thought. Maybe it’s just because he took care of Tom for her, she decided as she told herself to get a grip. 

Sam and Ray had finished decorating and they looked at the pool with satisfied smiles. “I think we did one hell of a job, my friend” Sam said to Ray, while looking at their work with pride.

“Oh yes, it looks great. And tonight it will look even better when all the little lights are switched on” Ray smiled.

They also prepared a small room near the side entrance, where people could get changed into their swimming gear if they wanted to get into the pool.

Just after 5pm the first guests started to arrive. Ray got introduced to everybody so he would know exactly who was attending the party and who Liz’s closest friends were. When everyone had arrived, Sam told Liz to gather them around the pool.

He went inside and came back minutes later, carrying a 2 tiered white cake with beautiful decorations and a ‘28’ in candles on top.

Liz couldn’t believe her eyes. Where had that come from?

They all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ as Sam walked the cake over to the big table next to the pool.

Liz blew out the candles and took another good look at the cake. Sam handed her a big knife and she whispered a quick “Thanks dad”

“Don’t thank me, thank Ray. He’s the one who made it” Sam whispered back.

Liz looked over her shoulder. Ray was standing in the doorway, staying out of sight as usual. She decided she would thank him later and she returned her attention to the cake and made the first cut. When she noticed it was Red Velvet she got even more excited. He had made her favourite cake…

After giving all of the guests a piece, Liz took a slice and walked over to Ray. “Thank you so much for making this cake” Liz said, a bit teary eyed, “I don’t know if my dad told you, but my mum used to make this for me on my birthdays” she said while handing Ray the plate.

“No, I didn’t know… It just happens to be one of my specialities” he smiled warmly.

“Well, either way, thank you. And please come stand outside with the rest of us”

 

The party was a success and soon Sam and Ray got the BBQ fired up. Sam had insisted that he would do the cooking himself instead of hiring someone. They only had one waiter walking around, serving drinks and fetching empty glasses.

Ray had put some speakers outside so they had some nice music on in the background that was turned up after the BBQ.

Everyone was in a good mood and the later it got the more intoxicated people became. They were all dancing around the pool and drinking and laughing.

Ray and Sam were standing, leant against the wall of the house. Shaking their heads and laughing at the scene before them.

“God, I remember when I was that young”, Sam said “Although I never had my own pool to have such a party”

“Haha, me neither, but I definitely enjoyed a pool party or two” Ray laughed.

Two guys were having words and starting to push each other. Ray saw it and walked over to calm them down but before he got there, one of the guys had already landed in the pool.

Of course it didn’t take long before the next person got pushed in and in no time there were more people inside the pool than out. The situation between the fighting guys seemed resolved so Ray was about to walk back to Sam when Liz got pushed by someone, hoping she would end up in the pool as well.

Liz grabbed Ray in the hope to keep herself from falling, but Ray wasn’t prepared for it so they both tumbled in. As they fell into the water, Ray felt Liz grab him even tighter and they both were kicking their legs to get to the surface.

They were pushed in at the deep end so even Ray couldn’t stand there. As they both came up for air, Liz looked at Ray in shock, afraid that he would be mad as hell. He looked back at her and after having had an equal look of shock, a broad smile appeared on his face.

This took Liz by surprise and she started laughing nervously. He wasn’t even mad after getting dragged into the pool, she thought as she still held on to him without realising it. When Ray started laughing she relaxed and started laughing with him.

“Well, I hope this didn’t ruin your dress?” Ray said, still holding Liz up by her waist.

“Or your suit” she smiled at him. 

When she realised that they were still holding each other, she suddenly let go and swam to the side to pull herself out.

Ray swam to the other side to get out there, a bit confused about what just happened. Sam was already waiting for him with a towel after just bringing one to Liz. 

“Wow, didn’t think you were the kind of guy to join in” he chuckled.

“Very funny, Sam. You better watch it before I let you join them as well” Ray said while taking the towel and drying his face and hair.

Liz looked at him from across the pool. What just happened? Damn, why did it feel so good to have his hands on me? And why does he look so adorable? Liz looked back at her friends in the pool and then back to Ray again. He must think I’m such a child for having friends like this, she thought.

Liz suddenly had enough of it all and was pretty upset that they had pushed her in the pool, wearing her best dress. She angrily marched inside to get out of her wet clothes.

Everyone had brought their swim gear, so why push people in the pool wearing their good clothes? It had been obvious that the other girls didn’t like it either.

Who started this childish behaviour anyway? Who had to ruin her party like that? It must have been one of the guys. Maybe Donald? Or Aram? She got changed and went back downstairs.

People were still in the pool and as some of them got drunk, their behaviour got worse and worse. They started splashing water out of the pool onto the table and decorations and even got the poor waiter wet from head to toe.  
Plastic cups and plates were floating in the pool and things only seemed to get worse.

After Liz stood and observed the whole scene for a while she took her dad aside.  
“Dad, can you please tell them the party is over? It’s getting out of hand and I’ve just had enough.

“Yes, sweetie, Ray is already talking to some of them. When you were upstairs we already asked a few of the guys to keep it together but now that alcohol is taking effect, some of them seem to have lost control of themselves”.

All and all it took Ray and Sam about 20 minutes to get everyone out of the pool, dried off and on their way.

Samar and Meera spoke to Liz before heading off.

“So, I hope you had a good time Liz. Even though the guys decided to make a big mess”, Meera said before giving Liz a big hug. Samar did the same.

“Thanks for coming, girls. And yes I had a good time, until the guys decided to ruin it. I didn’t mind them jumping in the pool but pushing everyone else in while still fully clothed and making a big mess really wasn’t fun”

After everyone had left, the three of them stood there, looking at the chaos in and around the pool. Ray had turned off the music and the lights were next.

“Let’s clean up tomorrow” Sam said as he kissed Liz on her cheek, “I hope you had a good time anyway pumpkin”

“Yes, thank you. Thank you both” she said hugging her father and smiling at Ray.

“You’re very welcome, Liz” Ray said, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m off to bed”

Ray had just finished brushing his teeth when he heard yet another scream from Liz’s room. He ran over, hoping that it was just another spider. And indeed it was.

“Look, over there!” Liz pointed to the ceiling. Right next to the light there was another spider. Ray took the chair again and just as he wanted to scoop up the spider, the creepy crawly decided he wasn’t going to let Ray catch him that easily.

He crawled to the side, towards the fitting. Ray had to move the chair first before having another attempt at catching the spider.

He was about to grab it when he saw something strange inside the fitting. Something that shouldn’t be there. He wasn’t sure what it was, so he decided to grab the spider first and have a look after.

“I’ll take it out again. Spiders are usually are in pairs, so this should be it. I’ll be right back though, cause I just want to have a quick look at something if you don’t mind”

“Er, okay… Thank you again, Spiderman” she said giggling. She had been drinking and she was feeling the effects of it. Don’t do anything stupid though, she told herself. 

When Ray came back he got back on the chair. He carefully opened the fitting and he couldn’t believe what he saw. It was a tiny camera. He took it out, together with a small transmitter. Oh my god, how long has this been there, Ray wondered. Did someone place it there tonight? Someone from the party? Or had this been here for a while?

“What is that?” Liz asked when she saw Ray holding something small.

He could lie to her but she would find out anyway.

“Ehm, this is a small camera”, he said, hoping she wouldn’t freak out.

She didn’t. She just stared at his hands, not quite believing what she was looking at.

“Sweetie, I need to take this to your dad, okay? He needs to see this”

Liz just nodded slowly not taking her eyes off the small camera.

“Come, just walk with me, I don’t want to leave you here on your own” Ray carefully took her arm and guided her with him. Liz seemed in shock over the discovery and her eyes were fixated on the thing in Ray’s hand.

The only question running through Liz’s head was: How long had that camera been there?


	7. Ray Lifts Liz's Spirits

Ray and Liz walked to Sam’s room, Liz still a bit in shock about the camera Ray had just found. Ray knocked on Sam’s bedroom door. “Sam, can we come in for a second?”

“Yes, come on in” Sam answered and Ray opened the door, still guiding Liz by her arm.

“I found this in Liz’s room while catching a spider”, Ray said holding out the camera he held in his hand.

“What the hell? Is that a camera?” Sam asked, studying the small object in Ray’s hand. 

“Yes it is. It was hidden in the fitting of Liz’s light on the ceiling. I’m so glad that that spider was there; otherwise we probably would’ve never found it”

“Yes, that’s some good fortune” Sam said and he looked at Liz who was still staring at the camera, “Are you okay sweetie?” Sam asked while putting his arms around his daughter.

When Liz didn’t answer he turned to Ray again, while still having an arm around Liz “I’ll need to take this to the police tomorrow. Hopefully it is of some help in finding whoever did this. I wonder when he placed it in her room though. Could it be someone from the party?”

“It could be. But it is also possible that it has been there much longer. There is no way of telling at this point” Ray answered with a heavy sigh, “I’ll check her entire room tomorrow, just to make sure there aren’t more”

“Okay, good idea. I think we all just need a good night’s sleep right now” Sam said as he hugged Liz tight and gave her a quick kiss on her hair, “Try to get some sleep darling, it has been a long day”

Liz just nodded and hugged her dad back before turning around and walking back towards her room together with Ray. Just before entering her room she stopped. “I…I don’t want to go in there….” Liz whispered as she looked at her hands, her fingers entwined. She was too shy to ask Ray if she could stay with him, but then he already proposed it himself.

“Look, I understand you don’t want to stay in your room right now. I wouldn’t even let you if you wanted to. You can sleep in my bed tonight if you want but I suggest we go to the guest bedroom”

When Liz didn’t answer he took her arm again and led the way to the guest bedroom further down the hall. When they walked in, the first thing Ray did was look around and see if everything was in order. When he was satisfied, he lifted the comforter so Liz could get into the bed.

Just when Liz started to feel anxious about what Ray’s next move would be, he walked over to the closet, grabbed some blankets and pillows and he started to make a bed on the floor, beside the bed Liz was in.

Liz felt teary eyed at the incredibly sweet gesture. He never even asked if it was okay for him to lay in bed with her, even though it was big enough to fit 3 persons in there. Yet Liz didn’t have the courage to tell him that he could.

Ray left to tell Sam that they would be staying in the guestroom but was back in seconds. He didn’t want to leave Liz alone for too long.

“Try to get some sleep, Liz. I know that’s probably easier said than done but you are safe in this room, okay” Ray said before he switched off the light and got into his self-made bed.

It only took mere minutes before he heard Liz sniffing. The sniffing soon became sobbing and Ray felt he couldn’t just ignore it.  
He got up and switched on the small bedside light before sitting on the edge of the bed.

Liz lay with her back towards him, trying desperately to stifle her sobs but when she heard Ray get up, she knew he had heard her cry.

“Hey, it’s okay” he said, unsure whether to touch her or not. When she didn’t react to his words, he decided he did want to comfort her and he put his hand on her shoulder. “Liz, please, say something…”

At hearing the care and worry in his voice, Liz turned around, sat up and almost threw herself in his arms, looking for someone to hold her. Ray wrapped his strong arms around her “Shhh, it’s okay….”

“I just…. it’s all too much…” she cried, hot tears falling on his shoulder, “F-first the letters, then the p-picture and now this….” She muttered under her sobs. All the bottled up emotions and fear came to the surface. 

Ray just held her, slightly rocking from side to side. “I know, Lizzie, I know…. We will find who did this, I promise you…. shhhhh” he whispered soothingly in her ear while stroking her hair.

They sat like that for minutes, Ray whispering comforting things in Liz’s ear and Liz just holding onto Ray for dear life, crying softly. 

After she had calmed down, Ray sat back a little, holding both of Liz’s upper arms while looking at her intently. Her face was tear stained and Liz was trying hard to avoid looking into his eyes. She felt ashamed for crying in front of him like this, even though she knew he didn’t care.

“Why don’t you go and wash your face and then go back to bed, hmm?” 

Liz nodded and got up to go to the adjoining bathroom. She looked in the mirror to see her red face and puffy eyes look back at her. Why did you have to cry in front of him, she asked herself. 

After returning to bed she wanted to turn off the bedside light.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked, looking up at her from the floor.

“Yes, much better” Liz answered while giving him a smile before switching the light off. 

“Thank you, Ray”, she said as they lay there in the dark.

“You’re welcome, Lizzie”

Hmmm, I like the sound of that, ‘Lizzie’, she thought as she tried hard not to think about what had happened. Nobody really calls me that, but I like it….

Even though Ray was tired, he stayed awake until he could hear Liz’s breathing become slow and steady. When he was certain that she was asleep, he turned onto his side and drifted off himself.

The next morning Ray woke up to see that Liz was still asleep. Good, he thought before stretching his limbs and going to the bathroom. His back hurt a little cause sleeping on the floor wasn’t the most comfortable of things, but he was glad he had done it to make Liz feel at ease.

When he returned from the bathroom, Liz was sitting upright in bed, rubbing her eyes.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” Ray asked her while picking up the blankets and pillows and starting to put them away.

“Yes, not too bad actually. I’m glad I even slept at all” Liz responded while getting out of bed. Just before walking into the bathroom she turned around. “Thanks again, for last night”

Before Ray even had the chance to say anything, she disappeared inside.

He decided to go downstairs for breakfast and saw that Sam had already left. He had left a note on the counter for them.

‘I checked on you guys but you were both still asleep. I took the camera and will go to the police on my way to work. Will talk to you tonight. Hope you have a good day. Love, Sam’ 

Ray smiled at the note and peeked in the fridge to see what they could have for breakfast. He decided to make some bacon and eggs and he was almost finished making it when Liz appeared in the kitchen.  
“Is my dad gone already?”

“Yes. We are later than usual. But look, he left us a note” Ray said, pointing at it.

They had breakfast together in silence. Both not sure what to talk about, both desperately avoiding the whole ‘camera’ incident.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Ray asked while finishing the last of his eggs.

“Oh, I don’t know” Liz sighed, “Something fun maybe, to forget about it all of… this” she exclaimed waving her hands.

“How about if I call the airport and see if it’s possible to give you your first flying lesson?” Ray suggested, hoping to lift her spirits a little.

Liz’s face lit up, “Really? Yeah, that would be great!”

“Okay, let me just clean up in here and I’ll make the call” 

“No, no, let me do the cleaning, you can go make the call” Liz said to Ray’s surprise. He had never seen Liz clean up anything.

He phoned the airport and they said it was fine to take the helicopter out in about two hours. That’s good, Ray thought, that will leave me some time to get the decorations at the pool down. 

He informed Liz that the lesson would be in two hours and what he was planning to do until then. Liz offered to help and he gladly took her up on that.

As Ray was on the ladder, untying the string of balloons, Liz was getting some lights down that were wrapped around the trunk of a palm tree. 

Liz looked up at Ray as he was working and she felt so relieved that he was there. She felt much safer since her dad had hired him. Of course that was his job, but she never thought that she would actually feel this way about having him around.

Ray looked down at Liz and when he noticed her looking at him, he gave her a broad smile. He was glad that she wasn’t as upset as last night anymore and he hoped that they would soon solve this case of Liz’s mysterious stalker.

After getting all the decorations down, Liz took the big bag of stuff to the closet where they kept it. Now there was just some cleaning to do in and around the pool but that would be left for Martha.

They got ready and left for the airport an hour before the actual take off. It was about half an hour’s drive, which left them some time to get Liz acquainted with the helicopter.

Sam had informed the airport about Liz’s present and that he would hire a helicopter whenever she wanted to take a lesson.

When they got there it was already waiting for them. Ray opened the door for Liz and after she got in, he walked around and got in on the other side.  
He gave her a short briefing about the controls and panel and about using the cyclic, the thing that looks like a joystick and controls the lateral movements. 

They put on their headsets and before long Ray took off. He decided not to show her everything yet because it would be too much information for the first time.

They climbed higher and higher and he saw the huge smile plastered on Liz’s face. He was glad he was able to take her mind off things for a moment.

“Okay, so grab the cyclic and move it like I showed you before” Ray said and he let go of the controls.

Liz was nervous but the good kind. She took a hold of the cyclic with a sweaty hand and moved it and the helicopter made a 360 turn to the left. She did the same thing but the other way and they made a 360 turn to the right.

“Ahhh, that was so cool!” Liz grinned from ear to ear.

They then practised hovering and some different turns and Ray explained about the rotation of the helicopter and the wind direction. All too quick it was time to fly back to the airport.

“And, what do you think? You liked it?” Ray asked as he flew the helicopter back.

“Yeah! It was awesome!” Liz answered, still with a big smile on her face, “It was so cool to have the helicopter do what I wanted it to do”

“You did great for a first lesson” Ray told her and that made Liz’s smile even bigger, “A few more lessons and you’ll be flying this thing on your own” he said, giving her a wink.

When they were back on the road, Ray suddenly took a different route.

“I hope it’s okay? I just need to pick up some stuff from my apartment”

“Erm, yeah, sure” Liz answered, quite excited that she got to see where he lived.

“I’ll be right back”, Ray said before getting out of the car and going into one of the apartments across the street from where he had parked. Liz had hoped he would ask her in but he hadn’t and she didn’t want to ask.

He was back in the car within 5 minutes, carrying a bag, which he put on the backseat.

They drove back to the house, Liz all the while talking about the flying lesson.  
Ray loved the fact that she was so excited about it and was happy he had made the suggestion.

When they got back Liz went into the living room with a book, which gave Ray the opportunity to do what he had wanted to do, using the equipment which he had returned home to collect.

He got a little device out of the bag from his apartment and went to Liz’s room. The device was made to detect any bugs or electrical devices that shouldn’t be there and he started to sweep Liz’s entire bedroom and bathroom.

When he was satisfied that there was nothing else there, he also swept his own bedroom and Sam’s, just to be sure.

Sam got home that night with no further news on the prints, picture or camera.  
He told Liz and Ray that the police had been shocked about the camera and that they would try their best to find out more about it.

After Sam had told them everything, it was Liz’s turn to tell her dad about her first flying lesson. Sam could tell she was over the moon and gave Ray a big smile.

“Thanks dad, it really is a great present”, Liz said as she hugged Sam.

“Liz really has talent. She picked it up real quick” Ray added. 

“That’s great, Pumpkin. I’m glad you enjoyed it”

Ray told Sam and Liz about sweeping their rooms. “I will do the rest of the house tomorrow but at least our bedrooms are clear”.

“That’s great. Thank you for that” Sam said, in a heartfelt manner “It was quite a shock to discover that camera”

As they went upstairs to their rooms, Liz was suddenly very quiet.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked.

“Yeah…it’s just…I don’t really want to be alone in my room….” Liz confessed, “I know you said it’s clear now, but I just…. somehow I just…feel safer when you’re there”, she said, barely audible.

“Erm, well, sure, I can sleep in your room tonight, no problem” Ray said as they went into her room. He looked around, got an idea and left the room again.

Liz heard a loud thump and moments later Ray came through her door, dragging his mattress with him. “I don’t really want to sleep on the floor again, so if you don’t mind?” he said, while placing the mattress beside Liz’s bed.

“No, of course, that’s fine. Very smart actually” she smiled.

They got ready for bed and Ray switched off the lights.

“Thank you for today. I had a really good time”, Liz said.

“You’re very welcome, Lizzie” Ray said, “Goodnight”

“Goodnight”


	8. A Relaxing Day

The next morning Ray made a few phone calls to some people he knew that could come over to check the entire house for bugs and cameras. 

While he waited for them to arrive, he went to check on a hunch he had. 

When he had checked the garden a few days earlier he had seen scuff marks on one of the walls, presumably where the perpetrator had climbed it.

He took a ladder with him and checked the spot where he assumed someone went over. He got up the ladder and on the wall.

At first he didn’t think there was anything but just when he was about to come down again, he saw something between the bushes on the other side. 

Ray couldn’t let himself drop on the other side of the wall, cause he wouldn’t be able to get back up, so he decided to go and get another ladder.

When he got to the bushes, he finally saw what it was that he had spotted. It was a little black box, a receiver. Probably for the camera, he thought.

He was about to pick it up when he thought of a better plan. He climbed back over the wall. He decided to call Sam to see if he was okay with his plan.

“Sam, hey, it’s me…... No, nothing’s wrong, Liz is just fine. Listen, the reason I’m calling you is because I think I found the camera’s receiver……Yes, I found it in the bushes on the other side of the wall……Well, I was about to take it when I thought that maybe this is a way to catch the bastard”

He explained to Sam that he’d thought about putting up a camera, pointing towards the receiver. That way, if the stalker came to collect it, they would catch him red handed. 

“That’s a brilliant plan, Ray” Sam said enthusiastically, glad that there was finally a way they might catch the guy. 

When Ray’s men arrived to inspect the house, he spoke to the head of the group about setting up a camera. He also explained what he needed them to do and the men set off to work. They needed to sweep the entire house, so Ray thought it would be best for Liz and him to leave the house for a bit.

He went looking for her and found her in her room.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked as he entered the bedroom. His mattress was still on the floor next to Liz’s bed.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you” she smiled.

“Listen, I have a group of men sweeping the house now, so I thought that maybe we could play a game of tennis and leave them to it?”

“You play?” 

“As a matter of fact I do. I’m no Andy Murray, but I can hold my own on the court” Ray winked

“Okay, let’s see about that then”, Liz said amused, “Let’s get changed and we’ll meet downstairs in 5” 

They both got changed. Ray was wearing white shorts and a light blue T-shirt and Liz a short, white and pastel pink tennis dress. They walked to the tennis court together. Liz had her own racquet, Ray used Sam’s.

“Alright, let’s just hit a few balls to warm up before we get started”, Liz suggested and they did for a few minutes. It was very warm so they started sweating pretty quickly.

“Okay, you want to serve first?” Ray asked after their warm up.

“Sure”

Liz served hard but it was an easy ball for Ray to return. They seemed to be at about the same level so it was a good game.

After playing for about half an hour, Liz started to get a little distracted by Ray. She had already noticed his nice ass in his very short shorts of course, but seeing him running around really made her notice him even more.

Ray was equally as distracted. Seeing Liz in her short dress, running around the court made him see her in a different way. Not just that she had a sporty side to her, but her dress started to cling to her body from the sweat and left little to the imagination.

He was just looking at her long legs when Liz hit a ball hard in his direction and he was too distracted to see it coming. It hit him right in his balls.

“God!” Ray gasped as both his hands went down to cup his hurt genitals. Ray got on his knees; his eyes squeezed shut in pain, “Aaww!”

Liz saw it happen and her eyes got wide as she clasped her hand over her mouth in horror.

By the time she got to Ray he was already lying on his side, knees up to his chest, one hand still gripping his parts.

“Oh my god, Ray, I’m so sorry!” Liz said, crouching down at Ray’s side.

She put her hand on his shoulder “Is there anything I can do? Do you ehm, need some ice maybe?” Liz asked, not sure what to do.  
“No, that’s fine…just give me a moment…” Ray managed to whisper

Liz looked at him terrified. She never meant to hurt him, yet here he was squirming on the ground. “Can you get up? Or do you prefer to stay where you are?”

“I’ll stay right here…just…can you hand me a bottle of water?”

Liz got up to fetch him some of the water that they had brought with them. 

“Here you go”

“Thanks. Okay, this is embarrassing” Ray said as he slowly sat up, avoiding eye contact.

“I’m so sorry, Ray…. I didn’t mean to aim directly at you. Besides, I thought you would definitely get that ball”

“ I meant to, but I guess I wasn’t paying attention or something” Ray said as he pressed the bottle of water against his painful privates. He didn’t want to do that in front of Liz, but he knew it would make the pain more bearable. 

Liz tried not to look but couldn’t help but notice the bulge in Ray’s shorts.

After a few more minutes, Liz helped Ray up and they made their way to the wooden bench at the side of the court.

“This doesn’t make me much of a bodyguard now does it?” Ray chuckled as they sat side by side on the bench.

“Well, I guess men have their weak spot” Liz smiled, “I’m really sorry though”

“It’s okay Liz, I know you didn’t mean to”

“So, I guess that’s it for playing tennis, huh?”

“Uhm, yeah, sorry. It’s too hot anyway, don’t you think?” Ray asked

“Yes, we would be better off in the pool right now”, Liz pondered without realising she just made an offer to go into the pool.

“That’s a great idea! Let’s get changed. I can use some cool water”

They both went to their rooms to get changed into their swim gear.

While in his room, Ray wasn’t sure what to do. Should he leave his shirt on? He knew Liz had already seen his burn scars on the night he stormed into her room to save her from a spider, yet he felt very vulnerable without his shirt.

In the meantime Liz was in her room searching for her best bikini. She knew she had a killer body but she couldn’t help wanting to look extra good. When Ray agreed to go to the pool, in her mind she had already started to go through her bikini collection.

She settled on a navy blue one with some matching sandals, grabbed a big towel and headed out. As if on cue, Ray and Liz came out of their rooms at the exact same time.

Ray was wearing red and white swim shorts and had a towel draped over one shoulder. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and Liz couldn’t help but eye Ray’s strong upper body. He had such toned muscles and his biceps were to die for.

They went to the pool and Liz grabbed a volleyball on her way to the sunbeds where they dropped their towels. Ray walked over to the pool and took an elegant dive in. When he came up, Liz threw him the ball and dove in herself.

Wow, Ray thought, she looks amazing in that bikini. Even better than the black one I saw on her before.

They went to the middle part of the pool where they could both stand and where the water was up to their waists. They started playing the ball back and forth between them and they were having good fun. It was way better than being in the hot sun on the tennis court.

One ball that Liz hit back to Ray went outside the pool and Ray climbed out to get it. Liz noticed the scars on his back again and contemplated whether to ask Ray about it or not.

“Nice one, Liz” Ray said as he got back into the pool, “I didn’t know the palm tree over there was playing too” he winked.

“Oh, keep it up mister and I will hit you with the ball, instead of the tree”

“Yes, you seem very good at that…. Well, at least in here, my balls will be safe” he laughed as he played back the volleyball.

Liz tried to give Ray an angry look, but couldn’t manage it and it took mere seconds before they were both laughing.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Liz started carefully after a while.

“About what?” Ray asked

“Erm…those scars on your back…. can I ask what happened?”

Ray’s face immediately went dark. “It’s just something that happened while I was serving with the Marines”

Liz felt it was clear that he didn’t want to talk about it, so she didn’t ask for more details. She couldn’t help but wonder though about what had happened to him.

After they grew tired of volleyball, they just swam for a bit. Ray told her about his family. Apparently he had a brother living not too far from them and Ray was thinking about going to see him and his family soon. 

“Yeah, family is important, you should definitely go and see them” Liz said

“You can come if you want” Ray blurted out, thinking it would be nice for Liz to be around some other people sometime. He never expected her to say yes anyway.

“Yes, why not? It would be nice to meet your brother” Liz smiled, totally surprising Ray.

“Okay then, let’s do that sometime this week. I’ll give him a call”

A few hours had passed and the men were done sweeping the house. They hadn’t found anything else. Ray felt a feeling of relief going through his body.

Later that evening they all had dinner together and after that they decided to go to the home cinema to watch a movie.

“Okay, so what shall we watch?” Liz asked, excited that her dad actually had time to watch a movie with them.

“Why don’t you choose something, sweetie”, Sam said while getting drinks out of the small fridge next to the huge movie collection. 

“Let’s go for a comedy, shall we?” Liz asked while looking through the movies

Liz eventually went with ‘Naked Gun’, one they had all seen before but would love to watch again.

They had a good laugh and it felt great to forget about their daily problems for a bit.

Come bedtime Ray and Liz got ready and even though the house was clear, Ray still went to sleep on the mattress next to Liz’s bed. He knew Liz felt better if he did and he wanted to save her from having to ask him.

After Liz had turned out the light Ray heard her letting out a heavy sigh.

“Are you okay?” he asked

“Yeah…. I’m just glad they didn’t find anything in the house today. I was afraid the entire place was bugged”

“Yes, me too. That’s a great thing though, although we’re still not closer to finding whoever did this” Ray said, quickly adding “but we will”

“Yes, I’m sure. Thank you for today. I had a really good time. And sorry again about…. your balls” Liz said, trying to hide her smile.

“That’s fine, Lizzie. It taught me to be more careful around women with racquets” he grinned

 

That remark got him a pillow right in his face…..


	9. The Funeral

The next morning Ray left early to go to his apartment to pick up a few things. He had succeeded in not waking Liz when he got up and he hoped to be back before Sam and Liz were going to have breakfast.

Ray had gotten a phone call a few days earlier, saying that one of the men he had served with in the Marines had passed away. He wasn’t particularly close to the man but he wanted to attend his funeral anyway. So Ray was going to pick up some things, one of them being his navy blue dress uniform.

He took the hanger with the uniform out of the closet and looked at it. Memories came flooding back straight away. He stood in front of the mirror, holding the uniform in front of him. He knew he’d still fit it as he had stayed in good shape over the years.

After grabbing a few more items he headed to his car hoping he would still make it back before breakfast.

 

When he got back to the house there was nobody downstairs yet, so he went up to his room to put away his belongings. He had just stepped out of his bedroom when he heard Sam come out of his.

“Good morning” he said as he walked up to him.

“Morning, Ray” Sam responded, “Is Liz up yet?”

“Erm, I don’t know, I got up a few hours ago to go to my apartment and she was still asleep then”

The two men chatted while going downstairs to have breakfast. They were about to tuck in, thinking Liz wanted to have a lie in, when she walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning”, she said and immediately continued, looking Ray in the eye “Where were you this morning?” 

“Good morning to you too” Ray said, but before he could give an explanation, Liz’s rant went on.

“I woke up this morning, thinking my bodyguard would be right there, when he wasn’t”, giving Ray a questioning look, “So I thought, he must be in the bathroom, but he wasn’t! Care to explain?”

“Calm down, pumpkin, give Ray a chance to respond” Sam said between chews.

“Well, I actually got up early to get some things from my apartment”

“And you didn’t bother to tell me that?! I thought you were supposed to protect me, to be there the whole day, every day”

“Liz, please. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you last night, but I didn’t leave you unprotected, okay. I asked one of the guards at the gate to stay in the house to keep an eye on things while I was out. I was only gone for a little over an hour”

“Still, you should’ve told me. I woke up and got scared when you weren’t there…”Liz went from nearly screaming at Ray, to whispering. She hated to admit that she couldn’t go without his presence anymore.

“You’re right, I should’ve told you. I told Sam but I totally forgot to tell you and when I realised last night, you were asleep already”

“Maybe you should tell Liz why you had to go home so early in the morning?” Sam said, trying to help Ray out.

Ray looked at his plate, “I…I need to attend a funeral today, so I went to get my uniform. A guy from my team passed away last week”

Liz now looked guilty for getting angry with Ray about where he was and Ray picked up on that.

“Look, Liz, you have every right to get mad at me for not being there, okay? You’re right, I should’ve told you but I hoped to be back before you woke up”

“So, what time do you have to go to the funeral?” Sam inquired

“It starts at 1 o’clock, but it’s an hour drive from here so I’d like to leave at 11:30.  
Liz, I don’t want you to stay here on your own, so I will arrange for someone to come over to look after you”

“So I’ll need to stay at the house the whole day again? I was hoping to be able to go out for a bit” she said disappointed.

“I need to go to that funeral, Liz, I’m sorry. The only way you can get out of the house would be for you to go with me and I doubt that that’s what you want”

Liz didn’t even have to give it a thought. She desperately wanted to get out after being at the house the whole day yesterday and she was very curious about attending a Marine funeral.

“Okay, I will. What do I wear?”

She totally took Ray by surprise by agreeing to go with him. “Ehm, a black dress will do”, he said, not sure what to think about Liz going with him.

Sam went off to work and Ray did a check around the house before going upstairs and trying his uniform on. He was just checking himself in the mirror when he heard a knock on his door.

“Ray, can I come in?”

“Yes, of course”

Liz walked in and Ray turned from the mirror to face her. The moment Liz saw Ray in his uniform her jaw dropped and she was just staring at him, mouth open. 

She stood there watching him for a moment, before Ray started to smile “What can I do for you, Liz?”

It was like his voice snapped her out of her trance and she closed her mouth and cleared her throat. “I…eh…I was just wondering whether you could have a look at my black dresses with me. I’m not very good at this whole funeral thing”

“Of course. Just not sure I’m much of an expert when it comes to dresses” he laughed, trying to lighten the situation a bit. He couldn’t help but feel flattered by Liz’s reaction though.

They went to Liz’s room and entered her massive walk in closet. Ray noticed that she had all kinds of coloured dresses. So instead of a black one they settled on a beautiful navy blue dress that was elegant and not too sexy and revealing.

After Ray went back to his own room, so Liz could get ready as well, she sat on the edge of her bed. How embarrassing was that?! She recalled seeing him, standing there in his uniform and didn’t quite know how long it was before Ray asked her why she was there. It was all a blur.

He looked so amazing in his navy blue uniform that seemed to fit like a glove. He looked so smart and dapper. And she had to admit that he looked really hot in it. When on earth did it happen that she started feeling this way about a guy 20 years her senior? She never imagined it was possible.

She shook her head, thinking to herself that she shouldn’t be ridiculous and that staring at a guy in a uniform didn’t mean anything. She got up and started to get ready.

When she was ready it was almost time to leave. Liz had spent way more time than usual getting ready because she wanted to look perfect, knowing that Ray did too.

When she came down the stairs Ray was already waiting there for her. Now it was his turn to stare at Liz. She looked stunning. Ray felt a lucky guy, getting to spend the day with this beautiful woman, even though the occasion wasn’t very pleasant. 

In the car Liz asked about the man who had died and Ray told her a few stories about Glen Carter and their team. Glen apparently had been very valuable to the team cause he always knew how and where to find people.

When they arrived, Ray parked the car and they walked towards the building. Liz placed her hand in the crook of Ray’s arm and Ray placed his hand on hers briefly. He bent his head towards her before whispering, “Thank you for coming with me” 

Liz smiled up at him “No problem”

The service was beautiful and Liz was glad she had joined Ray. Not only to experience such a special funeral but mostly because she felt like Ray needed her support. Even though he had told Liz that Glen hadn’t been a close friend, he was still upset. 

During the service at one point, Liz had put her hand over Ray’s, which was lying flat on his thigh. Ray responded by turning his hand and squeezing hers lightly, not averting his gaze.

After the service a few of the men were standing together, talking and Ray told Liz that he had to go and say hi. He expected her to stay and go fetch a coffee or something but instead Liz walked with him, not wanting to leave him alone.

When they reached the group, everyone welcomed Ray with big cheers. “Hey, Ray! Good to see you man!”

“Hey guys, how are you? Long time no see” Ray responded, clearly feeling a little uneasy, “This is Elizabeth” he said, introducing Liz.

Liz nodded to the men, giving a slight smile “Hello”

“Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. What has this guy promised you, huh? You could clearly do much better than Ray” one of the men joked, prompting the others to laugh.

“I….eh…Ray works for my dad. He’s just looking after me” Liz tried to explain. She wanted to go on when Ray put his hand on her arm and shook his head “Don’t even try to explain. These guys are just making fun of me”

Liz blushed “Oh, okay…. I see”

“So, how have you been, Ray? Haven’t heard much from you after you ended up in the hospital. How long were you in there again?”

“Almost 6 months” Ray responded, hoping that his answer would be enough and they would move on from their conversation, but he had no such luck.

“6 months…right. Well, good to see you back on your feet, man. How’s your back now? Does it still bother you?”

“No, it’s okay. It doesn’t really hurt anymore”

Liz saw her chance to get to know more about Ray’s burn scars on his back.  
“So, what happened”, she asked carefully, fully aware that Ray didn’t like to talk about it. But she still wanted to know.

“Oh, nothing… Just something that happened on one of our missions” Ray said casually. 

“What? How can you say that? It wasn’t nothing, you were an absolute hero!” one of the men said.

“Yeah, man, you even got a Navy Cross for it. You only get that for extraordinary heroism. So don’t say it was nothing” another guy said.

Ray looked at the ground, not sure what to say.

“Okay, so if Ray won’t tell you what happened, we will because we were there”

“No, guys, don’t. I can tell her myself, I don’t need your help” Ray pleaded, but it was too late, one of the men had already started talking.

“Well, we were on a mission in Iraq and one day we were out, going through the streets. It was a quiet day, nothing had happened for a while. Suddenly we heard a loud bang, like an explosion, not too far from where we were. We decided to check it out and a couple of streets from where we were we found this family home on fire. Turned out that there had been a gas explosion.”

Upon hearing this, Liz already started to feel a knot in her stomach, anticipating what she was about to hear.

“There was a woman outside, badly burned, screaming. Our translator said that she was saying that there were kids inside the house. One of us tried calling our back up team and neighbours started throwing buckets of water through the windows. We were all just waiting for our other team to arrive with supplies when suddenly our Ray here decided he wasn’t going to wait any longer and ran into the house”

Liz looked to her side at Ray, who was standing there, his eyes closed, his hands balled into fists, breathing deeply through his nose. Liz took one of his fists between her hands and started stroking the back of his hand.

“We were screaming, thinking that there was no way he would survive it. He was in there for maybe a minute but it seemed like hours. Then suddenly he came running out of the house, holding something in his arms, wrapped in blankets. His clothes on his back were on fire and thankfully there was a neighbour with a bucket of water, so we threw that over him as he was kneeling on the ground. That probably saved his life. We unwrapped the blankets and there were 2 little kids in there”

There was a silence after the guy had finished his story. They were all looking at Ray, some of them patting him on the shoulder.

“Don’t ever say it was nothing, Ray, you saved 2 kids that day” the guy said before giving Ray a hug. “Okay, who is up for a few drinks in the bar?”

Ray and Liz said their goodbyes to the men before walking back to the car. Ray hadn’t said a word.

“If you want to go with them, I understand. You might feel the need to get drunk with your old buddies” she smiled.

“No, I’m good. Let’s go home”

Ray was very quiet on the way home and it was the first time she felt uncomfortable in Ray’s company.

“Look, I’m sorry I asked about what happened, but I really wanted to know” she started, scared to even look in his direction.

“Why? Why do you even care?” he snapped angrily.

His reaction made Liz angry as well “Why? Because I care about you, Ray. And because I want to know things about you. We spend every day together. Is it so bad to get to know each other a little bit? Besides it is a heart-breaking story, nothing to be ashamed of. You’re a hero!”

“You shouldn’t know things like this about me. And I’m not a hero, I did what every human being would’ve done”

“What every human being should have done, but nobody else did. Only you did! You are a hero in my eyes, no matter what you say…deal with it!” 

With that their conversation ended.

That night Ray couldn’t help but think about what Liz had said to him. It might have been in a rage but she had said it. She told him that she cared about him.   
He knew that no matter how hard he tried to deny it, he had started to care for her as well. He tried not to, because it wasn’t professional, but he couldn’t help it. He loved how soft she could be, and then hard, and then soft again.

He let out a heavy sigh. This could prove to be a difficult situation….


	10. Nightmares

That night Ray woke up from a strange noise in the room. He opened his eyes and realised what it was he was hearing. It was Liz, moaning in her sleep. He sat up so he could look onto Liz’s bed and when his eyes got used to the dark, he saw that she was wrestling with her sheets, thrashing her head from side to side, her face all screwed up.

Okay, she’s probably having a nightmare, he thought as he got up and slowly sat on the edge of her bed.

He reached his hand out and carefully put it on her arm “Liz…. wake up”  
He shook her arm lightly in an attempt to wake her.

When she didn’t react he decided to speak to her a little louder “Lizzie, wake up sweetheart”, he said, rubbing her arm a bit.

“Lizzie” the third time he said her name, her eyes flew open and she let out a loud gasp.

As soon as her eyes focused she looked at Ray, her eyes big and teary “Ray…oh my god, I’m so glad you’re okay” she said as she clutched his hand in hers, holding it tight to her chest. Ray had to fight the urge to lean over and hold her in his arms. Instead he put his other hand on her shoulder.

“Why, what happened? You were having a bad dream, weren’t you?”

“Yes…I…. I dreamed about a burning building and you went inside…”

“Oh, Lizzie, I’m so sorry that story made you have a nightmare….” Ray said apologetically, “But look at me Lizzie. I’m right here and I’m fine, see? There’s nothing wrong”

Liz looked at him and slowly nodded.

After Ray had fetched a glass of water, he sat back on the edge of the bed as Liz drank with big gulps. While she was drinking, Ray tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Try to go back to sleep, Lizzie” he whispered as he took the glass from her and put it on the stand next to the bed.

“I’ll try” was all she said before lying back down again. Ray nodded and gave her hand a little squeeze before returning to his mattress on the floor.

The next morning, while they were all having breakfast, Ray received a phone call from one of the guards at the gate.

“Ehm, sir, could you come out here for a moment? We have an issue” the guard, Peter Kotsiopulos, asked.

“Sure, I’ll be there in 5 minutes” Ray responded and hung up.

He wondered what the problem was and spoke to Sam about it while finishing his breakfast quickly.

“What issue?” Sam asked Ray

“I don’t know yet. I know you’re off to work now so I will inform you as soon as I have more information”

“No, it’s okay, I will stay here a little longer. I want to know what’s going on” Sam said, worried that something bad had happened. The guards never called to the house unless there was someone unknown who wanted to enter.

Ray walked up to the guards “What’s going on guys?”

“Well, sir, I’m not sure how to tell you this….” Peter started ”You know that we watch the video feed from the camera at the wall the whole time…”

“Yes, to see if anyone picks up the receiver. So? Did someone collect it?” Ray asked, getting nervous because Peter was being so vague. 

“I think so, sir”

“What do you mean, you think so? You either saw someone pick it up, or you didn’t” Ray said, agitated. 

“Well, we didn’t actually see it, that’s the problem. But someone definitely picked it up yesterday”

“What? How the hell did that happen?” Ray was furious by now “You have one fucking job and you can’t even do that right?!”

The other guard, Nik Korpal, was looking at his shoes, trying hard not to be a part of this awkward conversation.

Peter continued “I was here yesterday, but then you called me to the house to look after Miss Milhoan. Nik was here on his own and must have missed the moment the guy came to pick it up, because when Marvin started his night shift, he realised that he couldn’t see the little red light from the receiver anymore.  
So he started to go through yesterday’s feed and that’s when we found this” Peter said, pointing at the little screen in the guards’ booth.

Ray went inside and looked at the screen. He saw a frozen frame from the video feed from the camera he had put up near the wall a couple of days ago.  
On the screen he saw a man, but he couldn’t make out the face because he was wearing a baseball cap and wasn’t looking at the camera.

“Is there a better picture we can get? Do we get to see his face?” Ray asked Peter.

“No, I’m afraid this is the best there is. I’ve watched the entire footage 4 times now”

“Okay, I need that CD so I can watch it myself. I might get a better picture in the house, on a big screen”

After Peter handed him the CD with the footage, Ray walked back towards the house. He couldn’t believe this had happened. The guy, whoever he was, must’ve been watching their every move and just waiting for his chance to get the receiver back.

Ray blamed himself for asking the guard to go to the house and thus creating a moment for the perpetrator to fetch the receiver. How could he be so stupid? He only hoped that they would be able to find out who this guy was before he struck again.

When he got back to the house, Sam was already waiting for him in the doorway.

“And? What’s going on?” he asked curiously

“Our guy has picked up the receiver, except we didn’t catch him red handed because no one was watching the live footage…” Ray said, disappointed, “Which is probably my fault, because it happened when I left yesterday morning and told Peter to leave his post to be in the house”

“No, come on Ray, don’t blame yourself. The guy was probably watching the house and you couldn’t have possibly known that. We might recognise him from the footage” Sam said, trying to stay positive.

“Maybe…. but I doubt it. I just saw his image and to be honest, it could’ve been anybody. But either way, let’s watch the footage together and see if any of us recognises him”

They called Liz into the living room. Ray explained to her what they were about to watch, while Sam put on the CD.

Ray knew, looking at the clock in the corner of the screen, to what part he had to fast forward. The first moment the guy appeared on the screen, Liz exhaled sharply, shocked by the image.

“Don’t worry, Liz, I got my guys to wipe the footage that was on there when they were setting up the camera” 

They all watched as the guy looked around and carefully took the receiver from the bushes and put it in his backpack. He didn’t know about the camera but he was lucky cause he never even glanced in its direction. They all stared at the screen as the guy disappeared from view again.

Peter was right, Ray thought. The image Peter had frozen on his tiny screen was indeed the best image there was.

“Does he look familiar to either of you?” Ray asked, hoping that Sam or Liz had recognised him.

“Not to me, I’m afraid”, Sam answered with a sad look on his face. He had hoped they would catch the guy this way and it didn’t work. Ray picked up on his friend’s mood and felt even worse than before. 

“I don’t think so, sorry. It could be anyone”, Liz said, looking distraught

“I’m so sorry, Liz. I shouldn’t have asked Peter to come to the house yesterday. If I hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened” 

“It’s not your fault, Ray. You couldn’t have known” Liz said, trying to reassure Ray.

“Liz is right, Ray. Don’t blame yourself. Okay guys, I’m off to work. Try to make a copy of the CD so I can take it to the police” Sam said to Ray as he gave Liz a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Will do”

After Sam had left, Ray turned to Liz “You want to go for a helicopter lesson today? Might be nice to take our minds off the whole thing for a bit”

“Yes! That would be great”

“Okay, let me make a phone call to the airport. I just need to get this CD in the computer, so I can make a copy and print out an image from the footage”

“Cool. You can use the computer in my dad’s study. I’ll go and get ready”

Ray watched Liz leave the living room and he cursed at himself. How could he have been so stupid? They could’ve gotten the guy by now and this whole mess would’ve been over and Liz would be safe again.

He went to Sam’s study to get the copy and print and while he waited, he phoned the airport.

 

Liz’s hands were a bit sweaty as she took a hold of the cyclic again. She had only had one lesson, but she still remembered Ray’s instructions to the letter.

“Very impressive, Lizzie” Ray exclaimed as she was making the helicopter turn in various ways, “You’ve really got a knack for flying I must say”

“You think so?” Liz asked, her face beaming with pride.

Ray showed her a couple more moves, which she followed precisely.  
Ray looked at Liz sideways, as she was concentrating on one of the new moves. Her tongue was sticking out slightly and her eyes were focused on the panel in front of her. Ray couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He was glad that he was able to take her to do something fun.

After 45 minutes they were back on the ground again. 

“That was so awesome!” Liz yelped

Ray smiled at her, “It was a good lesson. You’re really picking up on it quickly”

In the car back to the house Ray was very quiet.

“Thinking about the guy again?” Liz asked carefully.

“Yeah…sorry…I just can’t seem to let it go. It could’ve been over if I hadn’t been so stupid”

“Stop it, Ray. Stop blaming yourself. It wasn’t your fault, okay!”

Ray just kept his eyes fixed on the road, not responding to Liz’s words so Liz decided to try to get through to him in a different way and put her hand over the one of his that was clutching the transmission.

“Ray, listen to me. You didn’t make a mistake. That guy obviously knows what he is doing. He probably just kept his eyes on the house and us and took his chance when he saw you leave. I’m scared, especially after seeing him on the footage but I have faith in you that you’ll catch him”

Ray finally took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her. He felt her fingers stroking the back of his hand and he loved the feeling of it. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she meant what she had said.

“Thank you” he said, not much louder than a whisper

During dinner that night, Liz told Sam all about her lesson and how well it went. Sam promised her that he would come with them to the airport sometime to watch Liz fly.

While Liz was watching TV, Ray took Sam aside and talked about today’s events and handed him a copy of the CD. 

“I also printed more than one picture, just in case. I gave one to Peter to hang in the booth at the gates. Who knows, the guy might show up at some point”

“Good idea. I’ll take this to the police tomorrow morning. Maybe this will help them in their search. At least now they have an image of who they’re looking for”

They said their goodnights and all headed to bed.  
When they were both settled in bed, Liz turned off the lights.

“Goodnight Ray”

“Goodnight Lizzie”

 

Yet again Ray was woken up by a noise, this time not so strange. He sat up, knowing already that Liz was having a nightmare. He looked at her and it confirmed what he thought. He got up and sat on the edge of her bed again.

Liz was slightly sweating and was moaning louder than she had the previous night. Her head was thrashing again and she had pushed the sheet off the bed entirely. 

Ray put his hand on her arm, trying to wake her up as he had the night before. “Lizzie, wake up” 

By now, Liz had started to whimper, “No…. no…please…. no”

He desperately tried to wake her now, feeling that she was in a very dark place.

“Lizzie, please, wake up sweetheart” he said as he shook her arm and took her hand in his.

Liz woke up with a jolt, sitting up straight away, her eyes full of fear. She looked around the room before her eyes settled on Ray.

“He’s…he’s not here…” she sobbed as she placed her hands in front of her face and started crying.

Ray couldn’t bear watching Liz like this and he moved closer. He thought about his promise to himself about keeping a distance. But Liz is in distress and she needs me now. The hell with it, he thought. He took her hands from her face and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Liz’s arms automatically held on tight around his torso while she pressed her face in his shirt, crying on his chest.

“Shhh, it’s okay, sweetheart” he whispered in her ear, while stroking her hair softly. “Did you dream about the fire again?” he asked, not understanding what she’d been mumbling before.

Liz was still too upset to talk so Ray just held her, slowly rocking her back and forth. He felt his shirt getting wet from Liz’s tears but he didn’t care. All he wanted was for her to feel safe.

After a few minutes had passed, the crying had stopped and Liz’s breathing had started to slow down. She pulled away from his chest a little bit but still clutched his shirt with her fists.

“It wasn’t the fire…. it was…he was here…. in the room” she sniffed, “He was standing next to my bed, looming over me in the dark”

“The guy from the footage?”

Liz nodded, “I couldn’t make out a face but it was the guy from the tape. And he was putting his hands around my throat just before you woke me up” Liz whispered, her lower lip still quivering at the thought.

At seeing her pain and sadness, Ray pulled her in for another hug. He couldn’t stand seeing Liz like this. He wanted to catch this guy more than ever before.

After drinking a glass of water, Liz had calmed down significantly but she didn’t lie back down like she did the night before. She looked at Ray, who was still sitting on the edge of her bed.

“I….ehm…I don’t know how to ask you this” she started, staring at her hands.

“Ask me what, sweetheart?” Ray looked at Liz questioningly.

“I would…eh…. really like….” Liz stumbled before suddenly blurting out “Would you sleep next to me tonight? I don’t know if I can get back to sleep unless I know you’re there”

Ray was taken aback for a moment but Liz had such a scared look on her face that he couldn’t say no.

“Yes, of course I will” he said, before picking up the sheet off the floor, grabbing his pillow and lying down next to Liz. He draped the sheet over them, up to their middle. 

He lay on his back, while Liz went to lie down on her left side, facing Ray. There was no contact between them. Not until Ray reached out his hand and grabbed one of Liz’s and held it, resting them on his chest.

“I hope you’ll get some sleep, Lizzie”, he whispered, before bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it softly.

Liz held her breath while he did this and managed to whisper back “I hope so too”


	11. Family Visit

The next morning, the first thing Ray noticed when he opened his eyes was the arm across his stomach. He looked down at the arm and then looked straight in the face of the person attached to the arm.

In her sleep Liz had crawled up to Ray, put her head on his shoulder and her arm around him. Her right leg was draped over his.

Ray smiled as he looked at Liz’s face. She looked so peaceful and sweet. Not a care in the world.

He really needed to use the bathroom but didn’t want to wake Liz up, so he decided to wait for a while, thinking she would probably wake up soon. He looked at the alarm clock on the stand and it was almost 8 o’clock.

He closed his eyes again, enjoying the feeling of Liz’s body on his. Then the thought of her waking up crossed his mind and his eyes flew open. Oh my god, she would be so horrified to find them lying like this!

Even though he was loving this moment of closeness he decided to get up to save Liz from the embarrassment of waking up in his arms.

He carefully picked up Liz’s arm that was over his stomach and moved his body to the side without moving his upper body too much cause her head was still on his shoulder. He then slowly lifted Liz’s head and moved away while putting her head on his pillow instead.

He was about to get up off the bed when Liz stirred and woke up, “Good morning” she yawned.

Ray froze immediately. He slowly turned to face Liz and gave her a nervous smile  
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, like a baby” Liz answered while she stretched her limbs, “And I didn’t have any nightmares again, so that was great. I guess you being here with me really helped. Thanks again for doing that, Ray”

“You’re welcome, Lizzie. I’m glad you slept well”

Ray got up to go to the bathroom, while Liz lingered in bed a bit longer. She really didn’t feel like getting up. She looked at the bathroom door. Did she imagine it or had she at one point slept in his arms? Liz wasn’t sure but it definitely felt like it.

When they got to the kitchen for breakfast, Sam had already left for work. He left a note behind, saying he had an early meeting and needed to go to the police and that he hoped they would have a nice day.

Liz read it with a smile on her face “Isn’t he just the best dad?”

“He sure is a great guy”, Ray said, immediately wondering what Sam would think of him and Liz getting so close to each other.

They had breakfast in silence, both thinking about last night.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Ray broke the silence

“I’m not sure….” Liz said hesitantly, “Now that I know that guy is out there watching us…. it kinda scares me” 

“I understand that but it shouldn’t stop you from leaving the house. I don’t think that he means to hurt you, he’s just…. obsessed with you. Besides, I’m right there with you. I won’t let anything happen to you, Lizzie”

She looked at him, tearing up a little. She couldn’t believe how sweet he was being and she realised right there and then that she had started to care immensely for Ray.

She smiled at him “I know that and I totally trust you, I’m just a bit…. wary about going out” she shrugged.

“You know what, why don’t we go shopping? It has been a while and you told me it’s one of your favourite pastimes. You could call Samar or Meera?”

Liz’s eyes lit up “Yes, that’s a great idea! Except, maybe we could go together, just us two, if you don’t mind? I’m already meeting up with them tomorrow”

“Sure, if that’s what you prefer. Hey, why don’t I call my family and see if we can come over today. That way we can combine it with the shopping. They live pretty close to the Cooper Mall”

“That would be nice, yes” 

Ray called his family while Liz got ready to go out. After the call he went to his room to get his wallet and nearly bumped into Liz when he stepped out of his room.

“Sorry, was just about to see if you were ready to go. What did your family say?”

Ray looked at her intently, taking note of the close proximity of Liz. He couldn’t help but notice the difference in her behaviour since this morning. It was almost like she was…flirting with him. 

“They said it was okay. They would like us to join them for dinner. If that’s okay with you of course”

“Sure, that sounds lovely. Let me just call my dad to let him know”

Ray decided to make another print of the image from the CD to take with them in the car. He had noticed something though and he wanted to run it by Liz.

Liz rang Sam while walking towards the car and she told him about their plans.

“That’s great, pumpkin. Have a good time. I met Ray’s brother once and he is a really nice guy. Say hi from me, okay?” Sam told her.

“Will do! Love you dad” Liz said before hanging up.

“Listen” Ray started as Liz took her seat and he showed her the pic he printed, “I noticed a logo or something on his baseball cap and I tried to enhance it. When you look closely you can make out an S and an F. It’s the 49ers logo” 

Liz squinted her eyes at the picture “Yes, I can see it now…. that could be very helpful”

“Yes, it could. At least it’s something uncommon round these parts” Ray said, pleased with his discovery.

As they drove to the mall, they just listened to music and sang along with some classics. Ray was impressed by Liz’s knowledge of music and when he told her so, she blushed a little from the compliment.

“I guess I grew up listening to music. My mum loved music and she played the piano. I could listen to her play for hours”

“That’s good, Liz. You should really hold on to memories like those”

“I’m trying to” she said, her brows furrowing by the thought of her mother.

“It must be hard for you” Ray said while taking one of her hands in his, squeezing it lightly, “But she’ll always be with you”

“Yeah, I know” Liz smiled, tears pooling in her eyes.

Not even 10 minutes later they arrived at the mall. After parking strategically again, they walked inside and Liz automatically walked over to one of her favourite shops. 

“They have such great clothes here” She exclaimed, almost dragging Ray with her. It was obvious that she had been missing her shopping sprees.

Ray went willingly, amused by Liz’s enthusiasm. 

A few stores later Liz had already bought quite a few things. Ray was functioning as a mule now as well as her bodyguard. After having a light lunch they went to a few more stores. 

“Look at all the cool shirts!” Liz yelped as they walked into a comic themed store. “Would you look at that…. and those!” Liz pointed at all kinds of stuff, acting like a kid in a candy store.

She bought a few items while Ray waited patiently and when they walked out of the store Liz let out a satisfied sigh “Okay, I think that’s it. Let’s go and see that family of yours”

Ray gave her a smile of approval and together they walked back to the car. Talking and laughing they didn’t notice the guy observing them from behind a pillar…

 

Like Ray had said, it was only a short drive from the mall to his family’s house. It was like his sister-in-law was already waiting at the door, cause after ringing the doorbell the door opened almost immediately. 

“There you are! Oh Raymond, so good to see you again” she said before giving him a bear hug, “And you must be Elizabeth. So nice to meet you, I’m Charlene” she shook Liz’s hand enthusiastically.

“Hi, nice to meet you” Liz smiled, affected by the woman’s good spirits. She looked at Ray with a broad smile, which he returned, before following the woman inside.

“Barry! They’re here!” Charlene shouted up, standing at the bottom of the stairs, “He’ll be right down, come on let’s go to the living room. Would you like something to drink?”

They settled on the couch while Charlene went to the kitchen to prepare them some drinks. Liz looked around the room and smiled at Ray. She had just opened her mouth to say something when the door opened.

Ray immediately got to his feet “Baz! Good to see you, man!” Ray exclaimed as the brothers gave each other a big hug.

Ray introduced his brother to Liz next “Liz, this is Barry, my crazy, older and, as you can see, uglier brother” Ray laughed while receiving a poke in the ribs from Barry.

She extended her hand and she received a strong, yet gentle handshake from Barry “Nice to meet you Liz, I’m Barry, but you can call me Baz”

“Nice to finally meet you. I can totally see the resemblance” Liz smiled.

They sat back down and Charlene entered with the drinks.

“Where are Jennifer and Michael?” Ray inquired, wondering where his niece and nephew were.

“They’re playing outside with some friends. You’ll see them at dinnertime” Baz said.

They talked about everything and nothing. Liz hearing stories about young Ray and Baz, being up to no good. Liz could just picture a little Ray covered in mud and the image of it made her laugh out loud. In return Charlene asked about Liz and what she did for a living.

“Ehm, I don’t actually work….”, she said, for the first time feeling embarrassed about it. She never saw it as a problem, her dad providing everything for her, but being here with Ray’s family she realised how it must sound to other people. They must think how spoiled rotten she was.

She explained her situation and told them who her dad was. She was relieved when they barely reacted and didn’t judge her at all. She felt herself relax and they continued chatting, the time flying by.

Come dinnertime the kids came home and got introduced to Liz. Liz immediately adored the both of them and could see why Ray was so full of love for his family.   
Charlene made a fantastic dinner with mashed potatoes, vegetables and chicken. 

During dinner Liz felt Michael, who was 8, staring at her continuously and suddenly he asked, “Uncle Ray, is she your girlfriend?”

Liz felt herself blush and she stared at her plate, not knowing where to look and waiting for what Ray’s response would be.

Ray looked at his nephew with an open mouth, not believing he had just asked that and not sure how to answer his question. Charlene picked up on their discomfort and before Ray could say anything she said “Michael, that’s not polite to ask”

Michael shrugged and continued eating without further protest. Liz let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding, before Baz picked up the conversation again. Ray looked at Liz but she was clearly avoiding his eyes.

To finish the dinner off there was homemade chocolate mousse for dessert.

Liz almost licked her fingers when she finished her bowl of mousse “That was incredible”, she said, both hands on her stomach “I am so full, I don’t think I’ll have to eat again for a week”

After dinner they retreated to the living room where they were served with coffee. Ray left Liz for a moment because he wanted to take the kids to bed. It was a ritual that whenever Ray was there, he would read Michael and Jennifer, who was 6, a bedtime story.

Liz continued talking to Charlene while Baz was having a smoke outside. Their conversation ended up on the same topic Michael was on about during dinner.

“I’m sorry about what happened during dinner”, Charlene started, “You know what kids are like, they just ask whatever pops into their pretty little heads”

Liz smiled at her “Haha, it’s okay. Just wasn’t prepared for that, that’s all”

“Neither was Ray”, Charlene chuckled, “He looked so dumbstruck” she said before getting more serious, “He seems very fond of you though” 

Liz nodded and said “And I’m very fond of him. We’ve gotten pretty close in the short time we’ve known each other. I guess that’s what happens when you spend all day, every day together”

Charlene agreed and was about to say something else when Ray walked back in. 

“What did I miss?” he laughed.

“Oh, not much” Charlene said, winking at Liz.

“Oh, by the way, don’t forget your medal, Ray” Charlene got up and took a little box from the mantle, “Michael was so proud to show it at school. He really scored good points telling the class about his uncle who was a Captain with the Marines”

She handed the box to Ray who nodded once as a way to say ‘thank you’

“Can I see?” Liz asked curiously, wanting to see the medal Ray got for his heroic act that got him scarred for life.

He handed the box to Liz who carefully opened it. Inside she found the Navy Cross. The medal awarded to those who distinguish themselves by extraordinary heroism. The arms of the cross were rounded at the end instead of straight. In the centre of the cross, a sailing vessel was depicted on waves. The ribbon was navy blue with a white stripe in the centre. Liz turned the medal in her hand and on the back, in the centre of the medal were two crossed anchors depicted and the letters USN.

“It’s beautiful, Ray” she said “Shall I put it in my bag?”

“Yeah, sure” he said.

All too soon it was time to go home. Liz thanked Baz and Charlene for the lovely meal and their company and hugs were exchanged. When Charlene hugged Ray, she whispered in his ear “I approve” before letting him go and giving him a big smile. Ray just smiled back.

The ride back home went fast and Ray and Liz talked about the evening. 

“They’re such lovely people”, Liz said, “and those kids were so sweet, I could have just eaten them up!”

“Haha, yes, they really are amazing” Ray responded, not sure whether to bring up the dinner debacle or not. But when Liz went on about the food and Charlene he decided not to.

They arrived at the house and as they got out of the car, Liz gasped.

“What’s wrong?”, Ray was at her side immediately. 

“I totally forgot to say hi from my dad”, she said with a sad look on her face.

“Just do that next time”, Ray smiled, not realizing he had just invited her to go with him again.

It was late and Sam had already gone to bed. Ray helped Liz carry her shopping bags upstairs to her room, before going to his own room to get ready for bed.

When he entered Liz’s room she was sitting on the bed, her hands behind her back and a huge smile on her face.

“What’s going on?” Ray looked at her suspiciously. 

“I got you something” Liz could hardly contain her excitement. 

She took her hands from behind her back and produced a small package.

Ray walked up to Liz and took the package from her. It felt soft. He just stood there, looking at it, turning it over and over in his hands.

“Come on, open it up already!” Liz said, becoming impatient, hopping up and down on the bed.

Ray had no idea what was in it, but no matter what it was, he already felt quite emotional.

“I ehh…. it’s just that no one ever buys me presents” he stuttered and looked at Liz, eyes full of emotions.

“It’s not a big deal. It’s only something small, really” Liz said, touched by what it meant to him.

Ray slowly started opening the wrapping paper and took out a grey T-shirt. He turned it around and on the front side there was the ‘Captain America’ logo. 

“What? How did you even do that? I was there with you the whole time”, he said, not believing she got him this behind his back.

“Well, you weren’t paying attention to me the whole time, especially not when I was at the till. And I was hiding it under the shirt that I bought for myself” She said with a satisfied smile, “I saw the shirt and had to buy it for you. You were a Captain and you are a hero. Not only to those kids you saved, but also to me”

That last part came out more as a whisper because she felt vulnerable saying it.

Ray felt a lump in his throat and instead of saying something he reached out and pulled Liz into a tight hug. This took Liz by surprise but soon she relaxed in his arms. They stood like this for a while. Ray had one arm around her shoulders and one hand cradling the back of her head. Liz had both arms wrapped around his torso, her head in the crook of his neck.

When they parted it took all of Ray’s strength not to lean in and kiss her. So instead he looked her in the eye.

“Thank you so much. I cannot tell you how much this means to me” before he took a step back and started to take the shirt off he was already wearing.

“Are you going to wear it now?” Liz asked surprised

“Yup. No point in waiting” Ray said as he pulled the new shirt over his head, “Perfect fit” he beamed and Liz couldn’t be happier. She never thought she could make someone so happy with just a T-shirt.

Ray was about to crawl into his own bed on the floor when he stopped.

“Do you want me to sleep here or in your bed?” he asked Liz as he stood on his mattress. 

Liz, who had already gotten into bed, looked at him with nervous eyes.

“Ehm… I don’t know. I feel bad asking you to do this again” she answered honestly. 

“That means yes then” Ray said as he climbed in next to Liz “Don’t feel bad about this Liz. If this is a way to make you feel safe and protected, so be it”

They settled in, exactly like they had the night before. Ray was on his back, Liz on her left side, facing Ray.

“Thank you for today, Ray. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me”

Ray turned off the lights before saying, “You’re welcome, Lizzie” 

He turned his head and pressed a soft kiss against Liz’s forehead. “I should be the one thanking you. I love the shirt”, he whispered.

Liz closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of his lips on her forehead. She had to suppress the urge to move her head closer and actually kiss him.

“Goodnight sweetheart” she heard Ray say.

“Goodnight Captain” she said with a smile.


	12. First Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks guys for sticking with me... Your loyalty will finally be rewarded ;) Enjoy!

The following morning wasn’t any different than the morning before. During the night Liz had moved closer to Ray in her sleep and was yet again half on top of him. Except this morning, Liz woke up first. She opened her eyes slowly.

She smiled when she noticed Ray’s arm around her shoulder and she nuzzled his cheek softly. She only then realised what she was doing and that the lovely dream she had about her and Ray was just that. A dream. 

She lifted her head a little bit so she could take a look at his face. He looked so gorgeous and sweet. And god, he smelled so good. She smiled an even bigger smile and contemplated whether to kiss his beautiful lips or not. She just couldn’t stop staring at them.

Before she could make a decision, Ray was already waking up. Too late, Liz, good job waiting so long, she scolded herself, before placing her head back on his shoulder. She decided to pretend like she was just waking up herself and started to stretch out and tried to act naturally while she rolled on her back, off of Ray.

But Ray kept his arm around her shoulder and it stopped her from doing just that. She felt him holding his arm tight around her so she couldn’t move. His other arm came up and he put his left hand on her right arm, which she had across his stomach.

“Morning” she heard him say, in his raspy, low, morning voice. Hearing that voice gave her goose bumps and she smiled “Good morning to you too, Captain” 

She dared to look up at him and he was lying with his eyes closed and a smile on his gorgeous lips. He moved his head down slightly to look at her from beneath his long lashes. When he saw her looking up at him his smile grew bigger.

“I slept great in my new shirt” he confessed to her, grinning

Liz looked at his cute, sleepy face and couldn’t help herself anymore. She was only mere inches from his face now. She placed her right hand on his cheek and moved in closer until she felt her lips touch his.

She felt his smile disappear and was afraid he was going to stop her. But when he didn’t, she found the courage to go on. She softly pressed her lips to his, enjoying the feeling she had longed for. She kissed his lower lip first, then his upper lip and let the tip of her tongue run over both. Just when she thought he wasn’t going to react at all, he opened his mouth slightly and she felt his tongue dart out to touch hers. 

She tilted her head a little to kiss at a better angle and closed her mouth over Ray’s. The kiss started slowly, tongues playing, exploring each other’s mouths. Soon it deepened and Ray started to push Liz back, so she was lying on her back and his torso was on top of her. Liz’s hands started to go from his face to his neck and slid down his back. She could feel the muscles through his shirt and loved the feeling. He was so strong.  
Ray’s hands were in her hair until one hand started to move down her side and came to rest on her flat stomach, his fingers kneading her side. Liz revelled in the feeling of his hands on her and wanted more. 

But as suddenly as the kiss had started, it stopped. Ray drew away from her and looked at her intently.

“Lizzie… I’m sorry”, he said as he rolled away from her, getting up from the bed.

“What? You’re sorry? Why? I started it” she said, frustrated.

“And I should’ve stopped it” he said, avoiding eye contact, “Lizzie, I really like you… a lot. But this is so unprofessional. Your dad hired me to look after you. I doubt he meant it in this way”

“Don’t you think I don’t know that? Of course I’ve thought about that as well, but I can’t help it that I like you so much” 

Liz was sitting on her knees on her bed, while Ray was standing beside the bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I just… I need some time to think about this, okay?” Ray said, in a way that meant that it was the end of their discussion. He went to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Liz sat down and pulled her knees up to her chest. Dammit, she thought, it felt so incredible to kiss him, she didn’t want it to stop. She could see the point Ray was making about her dad hiring him, but she couldn’t care less about that right now. All she knew was that she had feelings for Ray and that she felt ready to explore those feelings.

Ray leaned his forehead against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall. Oh my god, what the hell had just happened? He knew he was right about her flirting with him but he’d never expected her to actually take action like she just had. He couldn’t deny the feelings he’d started to have for Liz anymore but it felt wrong to act upon them. Sam hired him to be her bodyguard, not to sleep with his daughter.

He dreaded coming out of the bathroom but when he did, Liz was gone. He went to his own room to get dressed and when he came downstairs, he found Liz in the kitchen having breakfast in her pyjamas. He decided he had to try to act normal.

“So, you were saying yesterday that Meera and Samar were coming over?”

Liz looked at him for a moment before she decided to play along in this game of ‘act like nothing happened’. 

“Yes, they’re coming over later to do some sunbathing at the pool. Really need to catch up with them. I haven’t seen them since my birthday party”

“That’s good. It’ll be nice to see them again”, Ray said while he sat across from Liz with his plate of cereal. 

“Yes it will be” Liz said as she got up, only seconds after Ray sat down, “I’m going to get dressed”

Ray looked after Liz as she was leaving and sighed. This was going to be tough. 

A few hours later and Meera, Samar and Liz were splayed out on their sunbeds at the pool. They were chatting away as they really had a lot of catching up to do.

Ray observed the women from a top window and decided it would be best for him to keep himself busy as long as the guests were here. He was glad he didn’t have to spend a whole day in Liz’s company, now that things were a bit uncomfortable between them. He knew he and Liz needed to talk about this.

He decided to use the gym, something he’d only done once since he’d gotten here. He needed to stay in shape and had been lousy at doing so lately. So he changed into shorts and a tank top and headed for the gym. 

“So, how’s the situation with your stalker?” Meera inquired as they laid lazily on their sunbeds. 

“We caught him on camera but we couldn’t see his face properly” Liz said, the frustration clear in her voice, “Other than that, no news on that front. I do feel safe with Ray around though”

“Speaking of which, how is that going?” Samar asked Liz, looking over the rim of her sunglasses, wiggling her brows.

“How is what going?” Liz asked innocently.

“Oh, well, you know, with the two of you sleeping in the same room and all” Meera chimed in, “Did you really think we wouldn’t notice the mattress on your floor?”

Dammit, Liz thought, how could I forget? I should’ve thought of that before letting them get changed in my room…

“Oh, that” Liz said casually, acting like it was no big deal, “Well, after he found a camera in my room we kind of decided that it would be better for him to stay close”

“Uhuh, but of course” Meera said teasingly.

“Girls, come on!” Liz exclaimed, secretly loving the attention they gave Ray.  
“And what do you guys do all the time then?” Samar asked, “I mean, you spend every day with the guy”

“I got helicopter lessons and yesterday we went shopping and went to see his family. Oh, and I accompanied him to a funeral the other day” Liz said like they were everyday events.

“Right…. the things one does with a bodyguard” Samar teased, pinching Liz’s arm playfully.

After some more chatting the girls decided to get into the pool for a bit.

“It’s way too hot for sunbathing, let’s get the volleyball out” Meera opted. 

“Yes, let’s play. Liz, can you ask Ray to come into the pool as well? We need a fourth player”, Samar asked.

Feeling reluctant to ask him she said “Can’t we just play in a triangle kind of way?” 

Liz was afraid that if Ray joined them, Samar and Meera wouldn’t be able to keep their antics at bay and the last thing she wanted was for Ray to hear them tease him and Liz.

“Come on, Liz. Just ask him. We swear we’ll behave” Samar said, smiling sweetly, batting her eyes. Meera just laughed loudly.

“You two are unbelievable” Liz said before walking towards the house to see where Ray was hanging out.

Liz checked the living room, kitchen and upstairs but there was no Ray in sight. She decided to check her dad’s study but still no luck. Where could he be? He wouldn’t be in the cinema now, would he? Nope.

She was about to give him a call on his phone when she suddenly heard a sound coming from the gym. She walked towards the room and popped her head around the doorframe. 

There he was, sitting on a bench, lifting weights. Liz couldn’t take her eyes off him. He had beads of sweat on his face and neck and was wearing a tank top, showing his muscled arms perfectly. Liz jaw almost dropped to the floor. God, he looked hot.

She stood there for a moment, watching him lifting dumbbells. Ray then proceeded to the running machine and started walking, slowly picking up the pace. Now Liz’s eyes were fixed on Ray’s ass. It showed nicely in his shorts. If only she could put her hands on that tight, sweet butt of his, Liz thought, and she actually started blushing. 

Dammit, Liz, get it together, she said to herself sternly. 

She decided it was time to stop drooling and actually go in and talk to him, knowing that Samar and Meera were waiting.

“Ehm, Ray?” she started as she entered the room. 

Ray looked at her as he kept running, “Hey, Liz. What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Yes, there’s no problem. We were just wondering whether you wanted to come to the pool as well and play some volleyball?”

Ray started to slow down until he was just walking. He was barely panting, which surprised Liz after seeing him running like that.

“Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun” Ray responded, giving Liz one of his radiant smiles, “Give me 5 minutes to get ready”

“Okay, we’ll see you at the pool then” Liz said, smiling back and putting a hand on his forearm just before she walked out of the gym. She could feel Ray’s eyes on her bikini clad body as she walked away and smiled to herself.

True to his word, Ray was at the pool within 5 minutes. He was holding a towel, which he threw on one of the sunbeds. He was wearing a shirt and Liz could see his hesitation when he took it off. 

He joined them in the pool and Samar automatically went to Meera’s side. “Okay, it’s us against the two of you” 

Liz rolled her eyes at them and swam towards Ray, “Let’s beat them” she winked.

“Hell yes!” Ray laughed as, just in time, he managed to duck a ball that came straight at his face.

“Sorry!” Meera yelled.

“Didn’t know we’d started already” Ray grabbed the ball and threw it back at Meera “Let’s play to 25 points”

They played back and forth for a while until the score was 22-24, Liz and Ray in the lead.

Samar served and the ball went high between Liz and Ray, who were both going for it. “I got it” Ray said, smashing the ball back. Liz had been in motion already and couldn’t stop herself from crashing into Ray. He saw it happening and grabbed her by her waist but couldn’t stop them from falling over. They went under water, Liz on top of Ray, grabbing his shoulders.

When they came back up, they were standing together, still holding one another. Liz looked up at Ray and it was like time stood still. Ray stroked Liz’s cheek with his thumb, while looking at her intently. How could he stay away from her when all he wanted was to be with her, he asked himself?

Samar and Meera stood there, watching the scene in front of them. They looked at each other and smiled. This was confirmation of what they’d already thought.

They ordered pizza that night and decided to watch a movie. When Samar and Meera were leaving later on, Ray went to talk to Sam while the girls said their goodbyes.

“Liz, all jokes aside, you look so happy. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen you like this” Samar said as she gave Liz a big hug.

“She’s right, girl. And if you ask me, he totally likes you as well” Meera said when it was her turn to hug Liz.

Liz gave them a shy smile “You really think so?” she blushed.

“Well, yeah!” they said in unison. “Keep us up to date, Liz” Meera said before they left.

“I will” Liz giggled. She felt like a teenager with a crush.

After saying goodnight to her dad, she went upstairs. She felt weird because Ray and her usually went to sleep at the same time and now Ray was still talking to her dad. She wondered if he was delaying on purpose to avoid a possibly awkward situation.

She took her time to get ready for bed and had just crawled under the sheets when Ray knocked on her door “Can I come in?”

“Of course, I’m already in bed”

“Oh, okay. Just didn’t want to walk in on you getting changed or something”, he explained 

He went to the bathroom to get ready and Liz contemplated what to do. She couldn’t just go to sleep now. They had to talk about it or…. maybe resume that kiss from this morning, she thought and smiled at the memory of it. It had been such a great kiss that he had broken off so abruptly.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, waiting for Ray to return. When she heard he was about to come out, she got up and walked towards him. He didn’t expect her to be on her feet when he got out of the bathroom and was taken aback.

“Lizzie, what’s wrong?”  
“Nothing” she said as she started to corner him. Ray slowly walked backwards. 

“Lizzie…. sweetheart” he mumbled as she had him against the wall and she put her hands on his chest. He had put on his ‘Captain America’ shirt again and she loved him for doing so.

“Ray, please…. I’ve been wanting to do this all day”, she said as she put one hand behind his head and gently pulled him down. She leaned in and softly kissed him.

He was reluctant at first, but soon she could feel him kissing her back. He nipped at her lower lip and she moaned into his mouth. Their tongues soon found each other again and this time there was no holding back. Ray’s hands came up to cup Liz’s face as he deepened the kiss. Liz’s arms went around Ray and she pulled him closer. 

They were both desperate for air when they broke the kiss, holding on to each other for dear life. Ray pressed his forehead against Liz’s, trying to catch his breath.

“Lizzie…. we can’t….” Ray started and Liz automatically wanted to pull away at hearing these words, but Ray held her close, “Listen to me, sweetheart. I can’t tell you how much I want this, but I feel like we or at least I should talk to your father about this first”

Liz put her forehead against his chest, looking at her feet. She knew he was right but she craved his mouth on hers and his body close. She looked up, nodded and without saying another word she gave him one more kiss on his lips before turning and crawling back into bed.

Ray walked around to the other side of the bed and was about to get in when he stopped himself. He knew Liz wanted him close, but he didn’t trust himself, or Liz for that matter, enough to be that close to each other right now.

“Ehm, do you mind if I sleep on the floor tonight?” he asked, hoping she would be okay with it. He had already felt his groin twitch when they were kissing and he knew that sleeping in the same bed wouldn’t do him any good right now.

To Ray’s surprise Liz agreed “Yeah, probably for the best. I don’t know if I can control myself with you next to me” she said, giggling.

Ray let out a sigh of relief. Thank god she was taking it well.

“Goodnight Sweetheart” Ray said as he switched off the light.

“Goodnight Ray”


	13. Telling Sam

Liz woke up early the following morning. There was something missing and she knew exactly what. Ray. She turned her head and looked at the empty space next to her. She rolled over and peered over the edge of her bed, looking down on a sleeping Ray.

She felt her heart swell and a smile appeared on her face. He looked so peaceful and so handsome. Liz had to resist stretching out her hand to stroke his face. She looked at him lovingly for a long moment. Letting out a sigh, she knew for sure. She was in love with this man.

Liz went to the bathroom and when she got back she looked at her alarm clock. It was only 6 o’clock. Way too early to get out of bed. So she crawled back into bed, this time lying on Ray’s side. She had just settled, eyes closed, remembering their kiss from the previous day, when she heard a voice rumble in the dark.

“You’re up early”, Ray said as she heard the ruffling of his sheets. 

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep anymore” she responded with a heavy sigh.

She suddenly saw Ray’s head pop up above her mattress and grinned at the goofy face he was pulling.

“Good morning, my princess. What’s bothering you at this hour?” Ray asked Liz with a funny voice.

Liz giggled at his playfulness, “Well, you see, I’m lying here all alone in this big bed and I’m missing some company”

Ray put his forearms on the bed, letting his chin rest on his hands, while sitting on his knees on the mattress on the floor. He tilted his head and looked at Liz intently.

“I’m sorry to hear that, sweetheart. I’m sure that’s a matter that can be resolved” he smiled at her, more serious now.

Liz couldn’t help herself and stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. “I sure hope so”

At that, Ray got up and before he got into Liz’s bed, she moved towards the middle to give him some room to lie down. Liz gave him all of one second to lie down, before she had her arm around him and her head on his chest, her cheek pressed against the ‘Captain America’ logo.

Ray chuckled at her immediate action after he had lain down. He had thrown his arms around her as well and they were just lying there, enjoying the feeling of each other’s warmth and loving arms.

Ray could smell Liz’s hair and it smelled heavenly. He couldn’t help closing his eyes and taking in her scent, while going softly through her hair with one hand.   
Liz felt like she could stay like this forever. She loved the feeling of his hand through her hair and she tightened her grip around his waist. She’d noticed that Ray’s heart had started to beat just a little bit faster.

She moved her head and looked up at him, her chin resting on his chest.  
“So, are you going to talk to my dad about…. us?” she asked carefully.

“I am. I need to tell him what’s going on, Lizzie” Ray said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “It’s not like I’m going to ask for his permission to be with you but I just need him to know and then it’s up to him whether he wants to keep me on as your bodyguard or if he wants to hire someone else”

“I don’t want someone else to look after me” Liz whispered, looking in Ray’s eyes and then at his lips, immediately closing the gap between them and pressing her lips against his.

Ray grasped Liz’s head between his hands and pulled her closer. Liz’s mouth opened eagerly and Ray slipped his tongue inside, stroking her tongue with his. Liz climbed on top of Ray, straddling him. He moaned when she suddenly sucked on his tongue and he felt one of her hands disappear under his shirt.

Liz felt Ray’s excitement against her thigh and smiled to herself. She loved the fact that she had this effect on him. Plus feeling him like this made her want him even more. She ran her fingers through his chest hair and wanted nothing more than to take his clothes off.

Ray felt himself getting hard and he knew that they needed to stop before he couldn’t control himself any longer. One of his hands had slid down from Liz’s head to her chest and was kneading her breast through her pyjama top. He stopped his hand from moving, brought it back up to Liz’s face and grunted when he drew away from her warm mouth.

“Lizzie” he panted, out of breath from kissing and all the excitement. 

“Yes… I know”, she said while getting off Ray’s lap and lying back down next to him, “You need to talk to my dad first”

“I’m so sorry, darling, but it just wouldn’t feel right if we did anything before he knew about us” he took her hand and kissed the back of it tenderly.

When they walked downstairs for breakfast a little over an hour later, Sam was already reading the newspaper at the kitchen table.

“Morning guys” he said cheerfully, giving Liz a peck on her cheek as usual.

“Morning” they said in unison as they took their seats at the table. They talked about their plans for the day, another helicopter lesson, and about Sam’s day which was different than usual. He was going to have lunch with a high-ranking politician to talk about an important deal.

After breakfast Liz started to clean the table, looking at Ray, nodding with her head as to say he should go and talk to her dad now. He got the message.

“Sam, do you have a moment?” he asked and he led the way towards Sam’s study.

“What’s up?” Sam asked after Ray had closed the door behind them.

Ray started to perspire a little and he wasn’t sure how to broach the news to Sam, his friend of many years. He suddenly was afraid of what Sam’s reaction would be when he told him he wanted to be with his daughter.

“I uhm…. I…. I was just wondering whether you’d heard anything from the police yet? You know, regarding the letters or footage?”

“No, I haven’t. Unfortunately they couldn’t find anything that was helpful in catching the bastard”, he said, disappointment clearly sounding in his voice.

“That’s a shame”, Ray said, cursing at himself for chickening out of telling Sam about him and Liz. 

“Yes, it is. Well, if that’s all, I really need to go”

“Yes, of course” Ray said as he opened the door for Sam before following him back to the kitchen.

Liz was waiting at the kitchen table, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor, her fingers drumming on the table. She hoped her dad would take it well. And that he wouldn’t hire someone new.

She heard the men’s voices coming back and she sat up straight, grabbing the newspaper so it didn’t look like she was just waiting for their return. Her father walked in first, closely followed by Ray. 

“Okay, butterball, have a good day and I will see you tonight. I should be back in time for dinner” Sam said as he gave her a kiss in her hair before grabbing his suitcase and heading out.

Liz just sat there, eyebrows raised, looking at Ray questioningly.

“What the hell was that?” she asked after Sam had left.

Ray looked at her and then at the floor “Sorry. I just didn’t know how to tell him”

Liz got up and walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist, looking up at him. “Aaww, aren’t you a big softy?” she giggled as she kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth.

He looked at her intently “You have a strange effect on me, Lizzie” he said as he sweetly touched her nose with his “I’ll talk to your dad this evening, okay?”

“Okay, mister tough guy” she winked. “Let’s get to the airport, shall we? I can’t wait to fly again”

Ray called the airport to see if it was okay for them to take the helicopter out. It wasn’t a problem, so they got into Liz’s car and took off. 

Liz loved being in the car with Ray. She’d been so angry with him at first, when he’d insisted he had to drive, but now she wouldn’t want it any other way. Ray was a very good driver and she felt herself relax. So much so that she dozed off.

She felt soft lips on hers and she opened her eyes slowly. She looked directly into Ray’s eyes and he had a huge smile plastered on his gorgeous face. 

“Hi there, sleepyhead” he said, kneeling beside the car on the passenger’s side.

“Did I fall asleep?” she asked, disoriented. 

“Yes, you did. We’re at the airport now. Are you sure you want to fly?”

“Hell yes” she said as she got out of the car, “Let’s go”

They walked towards the hangar, both with an arm around the other.   
When they were strapped in and ready to go, Ray leaned in and kissed Liz deeply. He enjoyed spending time with her and couldn’t wait to tell Sam so they didn’t have to pretend anymore.

The kiss took Liz by surprise. This must be the first time he’s initiated a kiss, she thought to herself and kissed Ray back. When they broke the kiss, Liz looked at Ray with a huge smile spread across her face. 

“What was that all about?” she asked, smiling at him.

“Nothing. I just really love being with you” Ray said “And I love kissing you”, he added with a wink.

“Likewise” Liz said giggling and she felt heat spread across her face. How could she ever stay away from this man?

Liz had yet another great lesson and she finally felt she was making progress. Ray showed her a few new things and again she picked it up quickly. She then asked Ray if he could show her some cool moves. Not to teach her, but just showing her what he could do with the helicopter.

“I thought you’d never ask” he said with a boyish grin and immediately let the helicopter climb, “Okay, hold on, sweetheart, this is going to be a gas”

He showed her a few exciting manoeuvres he had mastered. 

Liz squealed at every sudden move Ray made and she looked over at him. He was very concentrated but the huge smile on his face told her that he was enjoying every second of it.

When they were heading back to the airport, Liz reached out her hand and Ray took it with one of his.

“You are amazing, you know that?!” Liz exclaimed, “And you looked damn sexy doing all those stunts”

“Hahaha” Ray laughed out loud at hearing Liz’s confession, “Is that so?”

“Oh, yes. It took all my strength not to climb out of my seat into your lap. I thought that would be a tad dangerous”, she giggled.

“A tad? I think that might’ve crashed the helicopter, darling” Ray chuckled.

When they got back to the car, Liz walked over to Ray’s side and before he could get in, she pinned him against the car, her hands around his neck.

“Thank you, Captain. That was a wonderful flight”, she said before leaning in and kissing him. It started as a sweet kiss on his lips, but it soon intensified. Ray’s arms came around Liz’s body and his hands rested on her lower back, pulling her closer. Their tongues danced together and Liz felt Ray’s hands going down her back and grabbing her ass, squeezing it lightly.

Hmm, that’s a first, she thought to herself, loving the feeling of his hands on her. Liz could feel something stir inside of her and she pushed her hips against Ray. She couldn’t wait to take this further as she felt her arousal grow. Okay, maybe it was time to get in the car, she thought, and she slowly pulled away from Ray.

“Mmm, can’t get enough of your kisses” she said, running her thumb over his lower lip. Ray kissed her thumb and was glad that this time it was Liz pulling away. He had felt like such a jerk for doing that every time, even though Liz knew the reason why.

They drove off, neither of them seeing that someone was observing them again.  
The guy was standing next to his car that was parked just behind the hangar. He had binoculars in his hand and had seen everything that had happened at Liz’s car. He could feel the rage build inside. That asshole had gotten to her. His Liz. He kicked against the front tire of his car before getting in. He slammed his hands on the steering wheel. He had to make sure that this new romance between Liz and her bodyguard would end soon.

They went back home and watched a movie. This time they sat in the ‘loveseat’ that was like a comfortable cinema chair, except for 2 persons. Ray had his arm around Liz, who was leaning with her head against his shoulder. They stole kisses during the movie and looked like a couple of teenagers in love.

They had dinner with Sam and he told them all about the meeting he had. Ray wasn’t paying much attention though, cause he was trying to figure out what the best way was to tell Sam about him and Liz.

Liz saw that Ray was a bit absent and knew exactly why. So after dinner she took it upon herself to talk to her dad.

Sam was in his study and Liz knocked softly before entering.

“Dad, can I talk to you for a second?”

“Of course, darling. What about?”

“Err, well” she started and she suddenly understood how difficult this must have been for Ray, “You might have noticed the fact that Ray and I have grown close to each other”

“I haven’t been around a lot, but yes, I can see that you have”

“Well, we kind of grew so close that we, ehh, we want to be together” Liz said, not sure how to formulate her words.

“Be together?” Sam asked, taking off his reading glasses and staring at her. Liz had his full attention now.

Liz thought it was best not to sugar coat it, “Yes, dad. I’m in love with Ray and I think he’s quite in love me too, but you’d better ask him that yourself”

“I see. Well, that’s quite a revelation” he cleared his throat and looked at the papers in front of him, not sure how to react. His good friend that he’d hired to protect his daughter had now fallen for her? He shook his head in disbelief. Who would have thought that?

Liz grew a little uncomfortable, as her father was being quiet and unresponsive.  
“Look, dad, I know that you hired him to look after me but it just happened. Besides, he’s still looking after me. I feel very safe having him around” she felt the need to explain.

“Pumpkin” Sam started, “Are you happy with him?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, a little louder than she’d wanted to, “I am, dad. I’m happier than I ever was. Ray treats me so much better than Tom ever did or ever could! He loves me and respects me and makes me laugh” she felt she was ranting now, but she didn’t care. Liz just wanted her dad to understand.

“Well, honey, if he makes you happy, then that’s all that matters” he smiled at his daughter as he got up to receive the bear hug he knew she was going to give him.

Sam was right, because Liz flew into his arms, “Thanks, dad. I knew you’d understand”

Sam kissed her on top of her head, before taking a step back and looking at his daughter, who was beaming. He’d seen the sparkle in her eyes before when she’d talked about Ray and felt that it was only a matter of time before she’d tell him what she’d just revealed. 

“Now, pumpkin, would you be so kind as to ask Ray to come and talk to me?” he said, more serious now.

“Yes, of course…. but dad?”, Liz said as she walked towards the door

“Yes?”

“Please be gentle. He wanted to come and talk to you, but I just beat him to it”

Sam smiled warmly, “Of course, darling” 

Ray, who had been in the living room watching the news, saw Liz walk in the room.

“Ray, my dad wants to talk to you”, she said before sitting down next to him

“About what?” he said, but he knew enough when he saw the look in Liz’s eyes, “No, you didn’t…” he said, shaking his head, “Please don’t tell me that you’ve already told him?”

“I did. But it’s okay. Just go and talk to him”

“What was his reaction? Is he angry?”

“Sweetie, just go and talk to him” she said before giving him a kiss on his cheek and taking the remote from his hand.

Ray got up, feeling his stomach turn. What if Sam wanted him out of here? 

He knocked before going into Sam’s study, “You wanted to see me?”

“Ray. Yes, please sit down” Sam said, giving Ray a stern look over the rim of his glasses.

Ray did as he asked and cleared his throat, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

“So, my daughter has just told me something” Sam started and pausing to see if Ray would react. He didn’t so he continued, “She told me that you are in love with her. Is that true?” his voice sounded serious and slightly upset.

“Ehm, I, eh, yes. I’m in love with Elizabeth” Ray admitted, not able to look Sam in the eye. 

“Of course I can’t do anything about that, but I can make sure that I hire someone new, who isn’t after my daughter and who will keep her safe”

Ray looked up as his heart fell. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. That Sam would kick him out, not wanting him to look after Lizzie anymore. But he couldn’t blame his friend for doing so. Ray knew how unprofessional it was that he was doing. 

“I understand, Sam. I will pack my stuff and will be out of here in the morning” Ray said as he got up, “I’m sorry. It was never my intention”

Sam had gotten up himself by now and had walked around his desk to stand in front of Ray. He noticed the defeated look on Ray’s face and immediately felt sorry for him. He extended his hand and Ray shook it “Ray, my friend….”

“Thank you for everything” Ray said, “I can recommend you one of my guys to look after Liz”

By now Sam couldn’t keep himself from laughing anymore, “Ray, come on! Do you really think I would just let you go?”

Ray just stood there, dumbstruck about Sam’s sudden change of mood.

“I’m not mad at you, Ray. You and Liz fell in love. Isn’t that something beautiful? I admit that I needed a second to adjust to the news, but really, I couldn’t think of a better man to be with my precious girl”

Ray let out a long breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “So, you’re okay with this?” he asked carefully.

“Yes I am. But let me ask you this. Do you want to keep looking after Liz or do you think that being with her will prevent you from doing your job?”

“I can do my job, Sam. I know I can. Being with her probably makes me want to protect her even more” Ray said honestly.

“That’s what I thought, but it’s good to know we’re on the same page”

Sam clasped Ray on his back before sitting back down at his desk. “I’ve got some more work to do”

“Sure, I won’t keep you any longer”, Ray said as he headed to the door. Just before leaving he turned around “Thanks Sam”

Sam gave him a nod and a smile and returned to the papers in front of him.

Well, that went better than expected, Ray thought to himself as he returned to the living room where Liz was flicking through stations.

“How did it go?” she asked but Ray didn’t answer her question. He just took her hand and walked her out of the room, up the stairs.

“Let’s get to bed, shall we?” he said with a smile, eyes dark with lust.


	14. Worth the Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was worth the wait for Ray and Liz. I hope it was for you as well..... Enjoy!

Ray led Liz into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. 

They stood in the middle of the room, gazing into each other’s eyes and just smiling at each other. They both knew what was about to happen and the anticipation was killing them. Liz took the first step by grabbing the front of Ray’s shirt and pulling him closer to her. She locked her mouth firmly over his.

This was a sudden move Ray hadn’t seen coming but he went willingly, opening his mouth for her tongue to enter. They licked and explored and in the meantime their hands were all over each other. Ray’s hands came around Liz, taking her perfect ass into his hands again, like he’d done so at the airport. This time he was kneading it firmly, eliciting a moan from Liz.

Liz had her arms wrapped around Ray’s neck, but now lowered her hands too, mimicking Ray by grabbing a handful of his ass. She felt Ray smile into her mouth and this made her grab his ass even harder. She then proceeded to unbutton his shirt from the top down. And as it fell open she ran her hands over his chest, her fingers playing with his soft chest hair.

Ray got hold of the hem of Liz’s shirt and pulled it up, interrupting their kiss briefly to take the shirt off over her head. His mouth was back on hers in an instant, desperate for contact. They were now both topless, except for Liz’s bra. 

Next Ray was fiddling with Liz’s jeans button and Liz, in turn, trying to open Ray’s belt, all the time not breaking their kiss. Liz started giggling when she couldn’t get Ray’s belt undone and they decided to both get rid of their own clothing because it was taking too long. Liz was now standing in only her underwear and Ray in his boxers.

They were both breathing heavily because of the lack of oxygen and Ray took a moment to just stand there and look at the amazing woman in front of him.

“You’re so beautiful”, he gasped, going over her body with his eyes. He suddenly felt the need to take things slow. He wanted to worship her body, exploring every inch of it, instead of doing so in a quick rush.

Liz blushed from his comment and the way he was looking at her. She reached behind her and opened the clasp of her bra and let it fall to the floor. This was the first time Ray had seen this much of her and Liz smiled when his mouth fell open.

He took a step toward her and held her face in his hands, kissing her softly before bending slightly to pick her up and take her in his arms. He carried her to the bed and gently placed her on the mattress. He climbed onto the bed himself and covered Liz’s body with his own. Kissing her lips first, before going to her neck and then softly licking her earlobe. When he kissed her under her ear he heard a soft moan and made a mental note that this was a sensitive spot.

He carried on his exploration of her body, going from her neck to her breast, leaving a trail of kisses behind. He felt that Liz was already having a hard time keeping still underneath him, moving her hips towards his body looking for friction.

He took an already hard nipple into his mouth, while caressing the other one with his thumb. More moans came from Liz’s throat and this turned Ray on even more. He already felt himself getting harder but he wanted to finish his journey down Liz’s body before thinking about himself.

After giving both of Liz’s breasts the same licking and nibbling treatment he continued his way down. He kissed her flat stomach, dipping his tongue into her navel briefly before moving further down. He slowly removed her panties. 

He was now kneeling between Liz’s legs, his hands resting on her hips. He smiled at her as she looked down, her eyes dark and wanting.

“Please, Ray” she whispered, “I want to feel you inside me”

He could feel his cock twitch at hearing those words but he had other plans first and started to kiss her left inner thigh. He could smell Liz’s arousal and couldn’t wait to get to that warm, wet spot. He continued his kisses, all the way down to her knees and then back up her right leg until he reached her inner thigh again.

By now Liz was writhing underneath him, “Ray…. please…” 

He felt like he’d teased her long enough and resumed his kissing ,only this time he went from her inner thigh, up towards her folds. He could see how wet she already was and without warning he licked her core before sticking his tongue inside of her.

This time Liz cried out and one of her hands came to rest on the back of his head, pulling him even closer. Ray pulled his tongue out and slowly licked the insides of her folds before teasingly flicking his tongue against her clit. Liz was now bucking her hips against him and Ray felt she was already close.

He continued his ministrations, licking her clit and drawing circles with his tongue. He was about to insert a finger, but it wasn’t needed anymore.

Liz came apart beneath him and Ray kept his mouth on her until he felt her body go limp. He gave a few last licks, which made Liz’s body shudder and he made his way up and nuzzled her cheek, softly kissing her until she regained her composure.

“Mmmm, that was… incredible” Liz said, stroking Ray’s cheek, kissing him tenderly.

She put her hands against his chest and pushed him off her onto his back. 

“Now it’s my turn”, she said waggling her eyebrows at him.   
“And here I was thinking you couldn’t wait any longer….” Ray said before kissing her again.

“I can’t but I will” she said teasingly before kissing his jawline and working her way down. She kissed his throat and felt the moan he’d let escape vibrate in her lips.

She smiled to herself and continued her way down. After having kissed and licked his nipples she went further down. Not being a tease like Ray, she didn’t wait long before she’d licked her lips, got a hold of Ray’s erection and slowly circled her tongue around the tip.

She took him in her mouth a bit at a time, taking more in every time she moved her head down. She did this until she had almost his whole length in her mouth. He was too big to take him in entirely, so she used her hand at the base and started moving her head up and down.

Ray groaned loudly and his hands found their way into Liz’s hair. He didn’t push or guide her though, letting Liz set her own pace. 

She licked his entire length, using one hand to softly knead his balls. She took him in her mouth again and sucked, making sure her teeth made no contact. This made Ray groan even louder and he started breathing erratically.

“Lizzie, sweetheart” he moaned, gently pulling her head from his rock hard member, “I can’t take much more of that” he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply.

As he pulled away he asked, “Ehm, I know I probably should’ve asked before we got started”, he chuckled, “But do you have any condoms?”

To Liz it was the sweetest thing for Ray to ask her and she smiled warmly.

“I do, but I’m on the pill so there’s no need. I trust you, Raymond”

Ray smiled at hearing her use his full name and he gently pushed Liz down and settled between her legs. Liz could feel his erection against her inner thigh and felt herself get even more aroused.

He kissed her just below her ear before moving towards her mouth and claiming her lips again. He took a hold of his member and guided the tip towards Liz’s core. He felt how wet she was and he smiled. 

“Looks like you’re ready”

“I am, Captain” Liz giggled and moved her hips up and put her hands on his ass to pull him down to show Ray she didn’t want to wait any longer. 

He pressed the tip of his erection between Liz’s folds and slipped in easily. He started pushing in further and further, taking his time. When he was almost in, he stilled, giving Liz time to adjust to the feeling. Liz had her eyes screwed shut. 

“Lizzie, are you okay?” Ray asked, worried and about to pull out. 

“Yes, I’m fine” Liz said, keeping Ray in place with her hands that were still on his ass, “I was just enjoying this amazing feeling”

Ray grinned and pushed in the last bit so he was inside Liz all the way. He now had to still again, but this time to stop himself from going over the edge immediately. Liz felt so tight and so incredible, he had to shift his thoughts for a moment to make sure he could make this last for a while.

He slowly started moving and he heard Liz groan almost immediately. It didn’t take long for him to join her even though he normally wasn’t a very vocal person in the bedroom. Liz just made him feel things he’d never felt before and he couldn’t help himself.

He set a slow pace and Liz absolutely loved it. She revelled at the feeling of him inside her. He was quite big, so he rubbed her insides with every move. The strokes were long and slow and Ray was kissing Liz everywhere he could.

Ray pushed himself up on his hands, hovering above Liz, while starting to pump a bit faster. He felt himself getting close to his orgasm and wished he could make it last longer. He just had been so excited and the foreplay certainly didn’t help keeping his orgasm at bay.

By now Liz had wrapped her legs around Ray’s waist to give him even better access and Ray thought he was going to pass out from the incredible feeling. He felt he was really close but didn’t want Liz to stay behind, so he stilled for a moment, allowing himself to take a breath, while he pressed his thumb against Liz’s clit and moved his fingers in and around her core.

Liz had been close already but this was too much to take. 

“Ray, please, go on” Liz begged as she pressed her heels in his ass, signalling that she wanted him back inside her.

With a last few flicks of his fingers against Liz’s clit, he pushed himself back inside her and started pumping fast.

It only took a couple of strokes before Liz felt herself explode. She wrapped her arms around Ray’s neck and pulled him close. Feeling Liz’s insides constrict around him made Ray follow her shortly. He reached a high so strong he saw stars and with a last few pushes he rode out his orgasm, collapsing into Liz’s arms.

They were breathing fast and erratically and they just lay still in each other’s arms for several minutes, allowing themselves to get their breathing back to normal and just loving the close contact.

“Mmmm, that was worth the wait” Ray said, winking at Liz. He only then pulled out and made his way to the bathroom after wriggling himself free from Liz’s arms.

Liz looked after him, enjoying the sight of a naked Ray. She let out a sigh of absolute bliss. She couldn’t remember ever being so happy. Or ever having such amazing sex, she thought immediately after that, smiling to herself.

Ray came back, crawling back into Liz’s embrace at once. He loved being so close to her and he felt a sense of loss just going to the bathroom for a moment. 

They were both exhausted and after another long kiss, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The next morning they woke up, Ray spooning Liz. He nuzzled her ear and cheek, showering her with kisses. 

“Mmm, that’s a nice way of waking up…”Liz mumbled before turning her head and kissing Ray square on the lips.

“Yes, I thought so too” Ray responded after breaking off their kiss.

They cuddled some more before they got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. 

Sam was already at the table, waiting for them. They walked into the kitchen smiling but at seeing Sam’s face their smiles disappeared quickly.

Liz walked over to him at once. “Dad, what’s going on?”

“Good morning, sweetie” he nodded at Ray as a good morning before he said, “I’m sorry to start the day with bad news, but I’m afraid another photo has arrived in the mail today”

He slid the photo over the table towards Ray and Liz. They took a quick look and all colour drained from their faces.

The picture was taken at the airport, while they’d been leaning against Liz’s car. They had their arms around each other and Ray’s hands were resting on Liz’s ass. They both recalled the moment clearly and were taken aback by the fact that someone had been watching them.

“That’s not all” Sam said as he leaned over the table and turned the photo over. On the back there were big, angry, red letters. It read: She’s mine!!


	15. Time of my Life

Ray instinctively put an arm around Liz. Seeing the picture made him realise how vulnerable they were when they were out of the house. How did that bastard know where to find them? He couldn’t have followed them, cause Ray always checked to make sure they weren’t followed.

They had breakfast and Sam and Ray talked about what their next plan would be. Sam would go to the police to show them the new picture. He would also ask them if it was possible to have surveillance driving around the neighbourhood to keep an eye on things. 

“I’ll see you guys tonight. Please, stay safe” Sam said, taking Liz into his arms for a reassuring hug, “I love you, butterball”. He hated to leave Liz after receiving this new threat, but he knew she would be safe with Ray and he really had to go to work.

“So, what’s your plan for today?” Ray asked, taking Liz into his arms and kissing the tip of her nose.

Liz wrinkled her nose and giggled at the feeling of his lips, before responding more seriously, “Is it okay if we stay at the house today? I don’t really feel like going out now”

“Yes, of course. We’ll have a nice day here at home. We could just watch a movie or go to the pool or play some tennis”

“Hmm, I’d have thought that tennis wouldn’t be on your list anymore” Liz winked, referring to the unfortunate ball incident.

“Ha! You really think that that would keep me from playing again? Then you’re mistaken, Lizzie”

“Well, in case it did happen again, I could certainly take care of you better than last time” she said, while her hand sneaked towards Ray’s groin and cupped his balls.

Ray groaned as Liz squeezed lightly “As lovely as that sounds, I’d prefer not to repeat that particular moment” he grimaced, remembering the pain.

He took Liz into his arms and kissed her on her lips. “We need to come up with a different activity I’m afraid”

“I’d be okay with just doing this” Liz murmured against his lips before pushing her tongue inside his mouth and deepening the kiss.

Ray wrapped his arms around her shoulders and moved one hand into her hair, pulling her closer. They stood there kissing for minutes and only stopped when they were both in desperate need for oxygen. 

“Mmmm… well, as much as I love kissing you, we can’t possibly do this the entire day” Ray chuckled, still out of breath. He tried to hide his erection. He couldn’t believe Liz could make him hard so easily.

They decided to go and watch a movie first. Liz had made some fresh popcorn and Ray had fetched them some drinks. Liz nestled herself in Ray’s arms on the loveseat and the movie started. Ray didn’t know what movie Liz had put on but he soon saw the first scene of ‘Dirty Dancing’ and grinned.

“Ah, a chick flick”

“Yeah. I was really in the mood for something romantic. I hope that’s okay with you?” Liz looked up at Ray questioningly. 

“Of course it is, sweetheart” he gently kissed her forehead. He didn’t tell Liz that he secretly liked this movie. He’d always wanted to be able to dance like Patrick Swayze did.

They were just nibbling on popcorn and enjoying the movie until the scene started where Baby goes to see Johnny in his cabin and they start ‘dancing’.

Ray was already holding Liz’s hand but started kissing the back of it then turning her hand and kissing her palm. Liz sighed at the feeling of his warm lips and sat up slightly to look at Ray. He tightened the arm he had around her shoulder, pulled her closer and started nipping at her lips.

By now the movie had been forgotten and Liz had gotten up straight and had turned towards Ray, their lips never breaking contact. Ray grabbed Liz’s head in his hands and licked her lips slowly. Liz’s hands were roaming Ray’s chest and her fingers were already opening the buttons of his shirt.

Liz unlocked her lips from Ray’s and started to kiss his chest. She pushed him back in the seat to get better access and after finishing opening his shirt she pushed it over his shoulders and Ray shrugged it off. She ran her fingers through his chest hair and licked a trail to his navel.

While giving soft kisses on his belly, she opened his belt, followed by the button and zipper of his pants. She heard Ray moan and already felt him hard under her hand when she was trying to rid Ray of his pants. Ray lifted his hips slightly so Liz could slide his pants and boxers down. His erection sprang out and Liz looked at it hungrily.

She moved a little so Ray could lie down a bit more and without warning she took him all the way into her mouth. Liz heard Ray gasp and she started moving her head up and down slowly, licking and sucking him at a tantalizing pace.

Ray started pumping Liz’s mouth. He absolutely loved what she was doing and felt himself getting close already. “Lizzie…. Sweetheart…. please”  
Liz stopped as she felt he was almost there. She needed to feel him inside her and got rid of her own clothes in record time. Ray was getting up to kneel down in front of Liz but with a hand on his chest, she pushed him back down. She guided his legs onto the loveseat, before straddling his waist. Ray’s hands were on her hips in an instant, his eyes glistening with desire. 

Ray pushed one of his hands between Liz’s thighs and felt her wetness. She was practically dripping and a huge smile crossed his face before sneaking a finger inside her core. Liz arched her back a little to give him better access and Ray added another finger and started pumping in and out of her slowly. While he had his index and middle finger inside her, he stroked her clit with his thumb, making Liz writhe with pleasure.

Liz didn’t want to come yet, so she sat back up straight and Ray removed his hand. Liz moved herself down from Ray’s waist, leaving a wet spot on his belly. She took his shaft and guided the tip to her core and slowly lowered herself, impaling her body with Ray’s hard erection.

She’d set a slow pace but that didn’t last long as they were both craving their release. Ray kept Liz in place by holding her hips and he moved his own hips along with Liz’s rhythm. He’d placed his thumb back on Liz’s clit and was pressing and stroking it. He felt himself explode into Liz and arched his back off the seat as a reaction to his overwhelming orgasm.

Liz wasn’t far behind and followed Ray soon with her own release. Feeling Liz’s insides convulse was almost too much for Ray to handle and he grunted loudly, coming down from his high. 

They panted loudly as Liz bent over and lay down on Ray’s chest, her head on his shoulder, totally spent. Ray wrapped his arms around her and they just lay there for a while in each other’s arms. As they were getting their breath back, the movie had gotten to the end, where Baby and Johnny were doing their final dance.

“Hmm, ‘Time of my life’, what an appropriate ending”, Liz giggled.

“And I owe it all to you” Ray said, kissing Liz.

 

They spent some time at the pool, swimming and talking a bit. Liz asked Ray some questions about his work in the Secret Service and Ray asked Liz a bit more about her past. In between the more serious talks, they were kissing and splashing each other, keeping the mood light and fun.

Ray had made them a nice lunch, which they ate at the poolside, their feet dangling in the water. 

All in all it was a nice and relaxing day, just what they both needed.  
Later that evening Liz came downstairs with her hands behind her back.

“I got something for you”

Ray looked up from the TV guide. “Really? You should stop buying me presents, sweetie”

“Well, I didn’t really buy you this, I… had it made” Liz said, taking a seat next to Ray on the couch.

Ray was curious now and quickly opened the package that Liz had handed him.

It was his medal, the Naval Cross, in a beautiful wooden frame.

“I had it in my handbag from when your sister-in-law gave it back to you and decided to ask Martha to get it framed for me”

Ray was speechless. He felt his throat tighten and tears form in his eyes. He swallowed hard, desperately trying to keep his emotions under control.

“At least now you can hang it instead of it lying in a drawer somewhere” Liz continued, stroking Ray’s back with her hand.

“Thank you” Ray managed to whisper, before putting the frame down and putting his arms around Liz tightly. Liz had expected a thank you but never thought he would have such an emotional reaction. 

They held each other for a while before Ray pulled back and planted a soft kiss on Liz’s lips. “Thank you so much. That’s such a sweet thing to do”

Ray kissed Liz once more before they heard the front door slam. Sam was home and was just in time for dinner. Ray went to the kitchen to thank Martha for helping Liz with his gift before joining Liz and Sam at the dinner table.

“Everything okay?” Ray asked as soon as he saw Sam’s face. He looked pissed off.

“Fine” he said with a heavy sigh. “This whole thing with Liz is worrying me and the police are still no closer to getting that asshole”

“I might have some more news later”, Ray said, “This morning I asked my men to see if they could find out how it’s possible that that guy always knows where to find us. He was with us at the beach and then again at the airport and god knows where else. I will call them after dinner to see if they’ve found something”

“Oh, that would be great. If we know, then we might be able to intercept whatever it is. Could we even track him down that way?” Sam asked

“No, I don’t think so. We might, depending on how he’s tracking us, but I think he’s too smart to leave a trace”  
True to his word, Ray made a phone call immediately after dinner. He returned to the living room about 20 minutes later, a dark look on his face.

“Okay, I know how he did it” he started to Sam and Liz who were sitting on the couch, desperately waiting for any news.

“Apparently this guy knows what he’s doing. He has hacked Liz’s phone and got into her GPS. That way he always knew exactly where we were…” 

Ray looked at Liz intently “From now on, leave your phone at home. Don’t switch it off, cause he’ll know we’re onto him. I instructed one of my men to get you a burner phone tomorrow, so you’ll still have a phone you can use if you want to”

“Thank you, Ray. We might be one step closer to getting him” Sam said.

“I hope so. But at least now we’re probably able to leave the house without him being on our tail”

Later that night they said their goodnights and Ray and Liz got ready for bed.

“Do you think we could leave the house tomorrow?” Liz asked him, hopeful that they could.

“Yes, darling, we sure can”

Liz had her head on Ray’s shoulder as they were holding each other close, their legs tangled.

“Just to clarify, I loved being with you at the house today” Liz said, kissing his collarbone and working her way up to his neck.

“Me too, Lizzie. I had an amazing time”

Ray moved his head towards Liz and their lips found each other quickly. Ray rolled over onto Liz and continued kissing her while his hands roamed her body.   
They kissed each other deeply before Ray showered her face and neck with feather light kisses. After another long kiss Liz turned on her side, her back towards Ray.

“Goodnight, sweetheart” Ray said, kissing her behind her ear. 

“Goodnight, Ray” she said, enjoying the feel of Ray’s warm embrace.

They slowly dozed off, each loving the feel of the other so close and safe.


	16. Surprise

Ray woke up early the next morning, feeling refreshed after their relaxed day at the house and such a good sleep. He gently kissed Liz on her temple before carefully removing his arms from around her and getting out of bed.

He went downstairs, fetched the newspaper and made himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the kitchen table. He wasn’t even halfway through the paper when he heard Sam coming downstairs.

“Good morning”

“Good morning to you. You’re up early” Sam said, “Something bothering you?”

“No, I just had enough sleep I guess” Ray said with a smile.

After spending the previous day at the house, Ray wanted to do something nice for Liz and he thought now would be a good time to run his plans by Sam.

“That’s a great idea! That will cheer her right up”

“Okay, great. I’ll make all the arrangements”, Ray said cheerfully, glad that Sam approved of his idea.

“Is there anything you want me to do?”

“Ehm, maybe you can call the venue and see if it’s available. Cause if it’s not, we might have to come up with something else” Ray said.

“I know the manager, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem. You know what, let me call him right now. He’s probably up already”

Sam went to his study to make the call and ran into Liz on his way there.

“Good morning, cupcake” he said, giving her a peck on her cheek.

“Good morning, dad” she said as she looked at him while he walked towards his study. She frowned as she walked into the kitchen.

Ray was already preparing the table for breakfast and came walking towards her with open arms “Good morning, sweetheart” he said, cupping her face in his hands and planting a kiss on her lips.

“Morning” she smiled against his lips, “Listen, do you know what’s wrong with my dad?”

“No, I don’t. Why do you think something’s wrong?” Ray asked as they sat down at the table.

“I don’t know. He just seemed…. happy. Haven’t seen anything but a worried look on his face lately. Which is understandable but he looked different just now”

“I’m sure he’s just glad that we finally found out how your stalker was tracking us and that we won’t have that problem anymore” Ray said, giving her one of his big smiles, “and to be honest, so am I”

“Me too, Ray. I mean, now we can finally go out again without having him following us”

“Well, I don’t know about that, sweetie, because we don’t know if he has other ways to keep an eye on us. But this is definitely a good start”

“Okay, let’s have breakfast, shall we?” Sam said as he walked in, “I’m starving”

After breakfast Liz started clearing up the plates and just before Sam left, he gave Ray two thumbs up. Ray pointed at his watch to ask what time and Sam held up seven fingers. Seven o’clock. Ray gave Sam a thumb up as well.

“Okay guys, I’m off to work. I’ll let you know if the police contacts me about any developments”

After Sam had left, Ray was sitting back at the table, desperately waiting for Liz to go back upstairs so he could make a few calls. He slowly went through the newspaper, acting like he was reading it thoroughly. 

“Shall we get dressed and go out?” he heard Liz say and he suddenly felt her arms encircle his chest, while she pressed her cheek between his shoulder blades. He caressed her arms with one of his hands and took one hand of hers up to his lips to kiss it.

“You go ahead, Lizzie, I’ll be right up”

“What? You’re still not done reading that?” she asked, pointing at the newspaper like it was something dirty.

“Almost, but I have to make a few calls. Just to see if my men found anything else and about your new phone” 

Ray felt lame about lying to her like that, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

“Okay, sure. I’ll make sure to undress myself really slowly”, she said, winking at him before leaving the kitchen.

Ray couldn’t help but smile and decided he really should hurry up making the calls. He went to Sam’s study and closed the door. He didn’t want any chance of Liz overhearing his conversations.

After about 15 minutes he’d phoned everyone that he needed to phone. He kept the calls succinct to minimise the chances of Liz wondering what the hell took him so long. 

When he came into Liz’s room, she was already dressed and was just applying some light make up. 

“There you are…. a little late to the party” Liz said, looking at him in the mirror.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I had to make those calls” 

He stood behind her, locking eyes with her reflection in the mirror. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight from behind. 

“You know, I tried to make the phone calls quick but I guess it wasn’t quick enough” Ray said, before moving his hands under Liz’s shirt.

She stepped away from the mirror and Ray’s arms and went for her purse. 

“Get dressed, will you? I can’t wait to leave the house”, Liz said before leaving her room and leaving a dumbstruck Ray behind.

“I forgot what she can be like” he murmured to himself before slowly starting to get undressed.

 

They went to some exclusive shops to do what Liz did best. Spend money.  
Ray didn’t want to tell her too much about the surprise but he had to tell her something because they’d need to get ready and be at the venue on time.

“Lizzie, we need to be back at the house on time”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“I eh… got a little surprise for you so we need to go back and get ready for tonight”

This was music to her ears. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

“Well, I obviously can’t tell you but we need to get changed and then we’re off to…. some place”

Liz was intrigued now and tried to pry some more information from Ray. She pinned him against a wall and started kissing him.

“So…where…are…we…going?” she asked between kisses.

Ray laughed, grabbed Liz, turned her around and now he was the one pinning her against the wall.

“I’m not going to tell you. You’ll see” 

He gave her one more kiss before grabbing her hand and walking her back to the car.

 

Ray’s instructions were simple. Put on a nice dress and some make up and let’s go. Now he was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for Liz and she still wasn’t ready. She’d been in her room for over an hour now and if they didn’t leave soon, they would be late to her own party.

“Lizzie, hurry up, sweetheart, it’s time to go”, he yelled, looking at his watch again. He was just about to run up the stairs to go and get her when he heard her door open and heard footsteps coming towards the stairs.

He looked up and his jaw dropped. Liz looked absolutely stunning. She was wearing a black dress that hugged her body in just the right places. It was a dress pitched perfectly between formal and sexy and Ray couldn’t take his eyes off her as she descended.

“Sorry to keep you waiting” Liz said as she took hold of the hand he was offering when she was almost at the bottom of the stairs.

“You’re forgiven” Ray said before pressing his lips softly against hers, “You look absolutely amazing”

“You look pretty hot yourself. You wear the hell out of that tux”, she said while letting her hands go over his chest.

“If we weren’t in such a hurry, I’d take you back upstairs right now” Ray chuckled while nuzzling her cheek.

“We’ll be going back upstairs at some point tonight” Liz said with a mischievous grin.

“Already can’t wait” Ray whispered in her ear, before offering his arm to Liz to lead her outside to the car.

It only took about 10 minutes to get there and it was exactly 19:00 when Ray parked the car outside a club Liz knew all too well.

‘Ace of Spades’ was one of Liz’s favourite clubs. She hadn’t been there for ages and couldn’t believe Ray had organised this for her. She still had no idea what to expect, but already loved the fact that he was taking her here. She didn’t understand why they were there so early since it was a club that would open at 9PM for early birds and would usually get busy around 11 or 12 PM.

They walked up the stairs and the moment they walked in, Liz saw a few familiar faces. Her closest friends were there! She saw Samar, Meera, Donald, Kim and Aram. And as Liz got closer she saw her dad standing at the back.

Liz turned to Ray, “I can’t believe you did this for me”

“With a little help from your dad” he winked. “We felt like you deserved a night out after everything that has happened lately”

He wasn’t even finished talking before Liz had already wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you so much” she whispered.

“You’re very welcome, my sweet Lizzie”

She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before walking towards her friends for a quick hug and a chat. She hadn’t seen most of them since her birthday party and was happy to be spending some time with them.

Sam had arranged with the manager that there would be a buffet with some nice food and a big table was set up for all of them to have dinner at. It all looked wonderful and Liz couldn’t have been happier.

“So, I guess I was right about mister Bodyguard” Samar said, while gesturing with her head towards Ray, “You see, I’m never wrong about these things”

Liz gave her a playful slap on her arm, “It’s not like you helped or anything”

“Maybe not, but I did point out to you that he was a handsome guy. You didn’t like him at all”

“That’s true, you hated his guts” Meera chimed in. 

“Well, it wasn’t really that I hated him, I just didn’t like the situation and the idea of having someone follow me around all day” Liz said, trying to defend herself.

“He could follow me around anytime” Meera winked, receiving a playful slap as well.

“So, how is this whole stalker thing going?” Samar asked, wondering what the update would be.

“Yeah, did you catch that guy already or not?” Donald added.

“You must be so sick of that whole situation by now”, Aram said.

“Guys, one at the time” Liz laughed, “It isn’t going great, I mean, he is still out there and is still sending me threats but I do feel we are getting closer now. It was really scary because he showed up everywhere we went, but now we finally found out how he was tracking me so at least we won’t have him following us anymore”

“Really? How was he tracking you then?” Donald asked

“He’s quite a smart guy, cause apparently he hacked my phone and got into my phone’s GPS”

They were all standing there, shaking their heads in disbelief. Samar put her hand on Liz’s back, softly rubbing it “I really hope they’ll catch him soon, sweetie”

“If they do, they should lock him up in Alcatraz for the rest of his life” Donald added.

Ray came over and asked everyone to take a seat at the table.

Before sitting down Liz gave her dad a big hug and thanked him for being there.  
Ray pulled out Liz’s chair for her before taking a seat next to her. Sam stood up with a glass in his hand.

“I would like to say something before we start our dinner. Ray came to me this morning with this idea and I immediately liked it. We’ve had quite a rough time lately and it’s nice to have Liz out here in her favourite club with a few of her best friends. It’s not over yet, but we’re getting there and we refuse to let this bastard get the best of us” Sam raised his glass, “To Ray for organizing this and for protecting our beloved Liz and to Liz for staying strong in these difficult times. It will be over soon”

Everyone raised their glass and cheered on Ray and Liz before making their way to the table that had some lovely food displayed. 

They had a nice meal before the table was cleared and taken away so the dance floor was available again. After a few up-tempo songs there was a slow number and Liz walked over to Ray who was standing on the side of the dance floor talking to Sam. 

“Excuse me gentlemen, I need to steal this guy for a moment” she said while taking Ray’s hand and leading him to the dance floor. They wrapped their arms around each other and danced together like no one was watching, their foreheads against each other, lost in each other’s eyes. 

They all danced and drank and by the time they left the club, most of them had had too much to drink but they’d all had a great night.

Sam was driving Liz and Ray back to the house and after saying their goodnights Ray walked Liz to her room. She clearly had had too much to drink but Ray had only had a few beers. He didn’t mean to drink at all but Sam told him it was okay. He felt he was still on the job, so he didn’t drink much.

Ray closed the door behind them and started to undress Liz slowly. He unzipped her dress and while letting it slip down her body he got to his knees, following the dress, leaving a trail of kisses down Liz’s body. Liz giggled and put her hands on his shoulders for stability. He helped her step out of the dress and carefully draped it over a chair.

He’d wanted to make love to Liz tonight, but seeing what state she was in, he decided against it. He helped her to the bathroom so they could brush their teeth and got them into their sleepwear before crawling into bed next to her.  
Liz was stroking his face, “Thank you so much for tonight. I had a great time” she whispered. 

“You’re welcome”, he said before planting a soft kiss on her lips, “Now go to sleep, sweetheart, you must be exhausted”

She nodded and put her head on his chest, wrapping her arm around his waist.

“I love you, Ray” he heard her murmur before dozing off almost immediately.

He smiled and kissed her forehead, “I love you too, Lizzie”


	17. Beautiful eyes

Liz woke up with a bit of a headache. She remembered drinking too much the night before but she was having such a good time that she’d not cared. Now, however, she wished she’d drank a little bit less. 

Ray was still asleep next to her and she took a moment to just stare at him. His beautiful long lashes, his perfectly shaped lips. She listened to him breathing softly and steadily, his mouth slightly open. Liz smiled to herself, feeling butterflies in her stomach from just looking at him. 

She got up to go to the bathroom and while she was in there she took a paracetamol for her headache. When she walked back to the bed she saw that Ray had moved and was now stretched out on her side of the bed, one arm stretched out, like he was looking for her. She smiled as she picked up his arm and crawled onto the bed wrapping that arm around her. 

She recalled the moment from last night, when she’d walked down the stairs. The way Ray had looked at her with such adoration and love. No one had ever looked at her that way before and she’d loved it. Too bad she had been too drunk to make love to him when they’d gotten back like she’d promised him.

Well, she thought, never too late to get back to my promise, and she gently started kissing Ray. First on his lips and cheek, then moving down to lift his shirt and kiss his belly. She felt naughty and decided to go all the way now. She reached inside his boxers and wrapped her hand around his still soft shaft, taking it out of his boxers. 

Ray stirred and Liz knew it wouldn’t be long before he would wake up, so she quickly put her mouth on him and slowly started going up and down. 

This indeed woke Ray right up. He sat up straight, not understanding what was going on in his still sleepy state of mind. He saw Liz on her knees, her head between his legs, bobbing up and down and he moaned loudly with pleasure and surprise. He was getting harder by now and Ray threw his head back, leaning on his elbows, which he’d positioned behind him. “Oh Lizzie” he grunted with a deep, low, sleepy voice.

Liz looked up at him, still with her lips around him. She took him out of her mouth and started licking his length. She sucked at the tip before taking him back in her mouth. Her hand started playing with his balls and Ray couldn’t keep himself upright anymore and dropped his head back onto his pillow. His hand was stroking Liz’s hair and temple and his other hand was clasping the sheets. 

As she ran her tongue over the ridge on the underside of his length, another low growl came from Ray’s throat and this spurred Liz on even more. 

She started moving her head up and down faster and faster, sucking and licking in between her movements. 

“Lizzie… stop” Ray moaned as he felt himself getting closer and closer. But Liz had no intention of stopping and kept going, feeling Ray’s manhood was as hard as a rock by now.

“Lizzie…I’m going…. to come” Ray warned her for a last time, just before he reached his climax and Liz felt jets of warm liquid filling her mouth. She swallowed every last bit before she lay down next to Ray, who was still trying to get his breathing back to normal.

“Wow, that was amazing, sweetheart” Ray whispered in Liz’s ear, “What a way to wake up”

Liz giggled, “Yes it was. I felt bad for being too drunk last night” she said, “Not that that was the only reason for doing this of course”, she added quickly with a smile. They hugged each other tightly.

A few minutes later they got up. “I’m going for a quick shower, sweetie” Ray said, taking Liz into his arms, “Why don’t you join me?” he winked.

He took her hand and led her into the big shower cubicle. There were several showerheads and Ray turned on two of them, so neither of them had to stand in the cold. They soaped each other’s bodies and just before Liz turned to walk out of the showers he took a hold of her hand.

“Not so quick” he said, before taking her head between his hands and kissing her deeply. He turned them around and carefully pushed her against the wall.

Liz gasped from the contact of her back with the cold wall but soon reclaimed Ray’s mouth. Ray had other plans though and started kissing her neck, slowly working his way down. He stopped at her breasts for a moment, licking and sucking at her nipples, making them hard before continuing his way down. 

When he got to where he wanted to be, he nuzzled the small amount of hair Liz had there before spreading her folds with his thumbs and sticking his tongue between them. Liz gasped again, except this time from the amazing feeling Ray was causing between her legs spreading through her entire body.

Ray took one of Liz’s legs and draped her knee over his shoulder, giving him better access. He licked her folds before shifting his attention to her clit. He had the fingers of his right hand join his tongue and as he licked and sucked, he inserted one finger, adding another one quickly. Liz was so wet and ready and the feeling of his fingers inside her made Ray hard again.

Liz was squirming against the wall, trying desperately to keep standing. Even though she was only standing on one leg, she was steady because Ray supported her other leg. But she was so close to her orgasm that it was hard for her to stay on her feet.

A few more strokes of Ray’s tongue and Liz’s body exploded and she would’ve collapsed to the floor if it hadn’t been for Ray keeping her up. He was holding her now, his hands firm on her waist while his tongue was still licking her until she’d ridden out her high.

After a final long kiss Liz turned off her shower and stepped out of the cubicle. 

“Give me a moment to take a cold shower” Ray chuckled and Liz looked down at his yet again hard member.

“Of course, take your time” she winked before taking a towel and drying herself off.

 

They went down for breakfast. Sam was already downstairs, again with a serious look on his face. 

The moment they walked into the kitchen he pushed a picture across the table. 

“Sorry to start the day with something like this, especially after having such a good time last night, but this was in the mail this morning. Doesn’t look like it was posted, but directly put in the mailbox”

Liz and Ray stared at the picture. It was one of Liz again, an older one from at the pool. But this time Liz’s eyes were scratched out of the picture and there was a red stripe across her neck, made with a red marker.

Ray felt Liz squeeze his hand tight. He knew how hard this must be for her. And unlike the other pictures this one was certainly very disturbing.

“I thought we were making progress but this certainly doesn’t look like it. He’s getting bolder and it looks like he’s angry that he’s not getting what he wants”, Ray said.

They had breakfast but none of them really felt like eating.   
Sam left the house shortly after that, saying that he would be going to the police yet again.

Liz and Ray sat at the table for a long time, not saying a word, just sitting in silence, Ray clasping Liz’s hand and softly running his thumb over it.

A moment later, Liz’s phone buzzed and she read the text that she’d gotten.

“Oh, that’s so sweet. Don wants to come by the house, just to see how I’m doing”

“That’s nice of him. I have to say, all of your friends were very understanding last night. They really feel for you”

A couple of hours later, Don was at the door and Liz let him in. They hugged briefly and Ray shook his hand.

Liz had talked to Ray before about giving her some space to talk to her friend but now Ray didn’t seem too eager to leave them.

“Let’s go and sit at the pool for a moment, shall we?” Liz suggested.

“I’ll be…around” Ray said, kissing Liz briefly before walking off.

Liz got them a drink and they walked towards the chairs and table near the poolside. 

“Thanks for coming by” Liz said, smiling at Don.

“No problem. I had a really good time last night and it made me realise that I should come by more often. Especially now that you’re in this messy situation”

“Aaww, thanks, Don” Liz said and she told him about the picture they‘d received that morning.

They continued chatting, not realizing Ray was checking on them from a window up at the house. After that morning’s threat Ray wasn’t happy about letting Liz out of his sight.

A little while later, Don suggested going to the cinema to watch a movie. Liz agreed and they went inside. While they were fetching drinks and snacks, Don was asking Liz about her relationship with Ray. 

“Do you really think he’s right for you? I mean, isn’t he a little old?”

These questions took Liz aback. “No, he’s not too old and yes, he’s perfect for me”

“Well, I think he’s not…. You’d be better off with someone your own age, Liz”

Liz started to get pissed off, “You don’t know Ray and you clearly don’t know me if you think someone my own age would suit me better. I was with someone my own age, remember. He was despicable and Ray would never treat me the way Tom did”

They were in the back of the theatre now, looking for a movie to watch but Liz felt attacked by Don’s words and wasn’t feeling comfortable at all.

“Why don’t you just drop it, okay? I’m happy with Ray”

“Are you really?” Don asked, narrowing his eyes and stepping closer to Liz, cornering her, “Cause I’m sure I could make you much happier, Liz”

Liz was starting to get scared now, especially seeing the way Don looked at her. She tried to stay calm and not show her fear.

“You?”, she asked him, “What are you talking about, Don?”

Don chuckled but he sounded like a mad man. He looked at her with an ice-cold stare, “What I’m saying is that I could make you happy, Liz. I will always be there for you, love you and protect you. Much better than Ray ever could. Trust me, Liz”, he said, before lifting his hand and stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Liz got the chills. This could not be happening. Why was Don hitting on her? It didn’t make any sense to her, especially after last night when they all had a great time and Liz made it clear to her friends how in love she was with Ray.

He had her with her back against the wall now and he was standing right in front of her, his face mere inches from Liz’s.

“Hmmm” he said, looking at her intently, “You have such beautiful eyes. Maybe scratching them out was a little bit over the top”


	18. Showdown

Liz’s eyes grew big after hearing what Donald had just said. This couldn’t be true…. Was Don her stalker? Had it been one of her friends all along?

Liz felt faint at this realization and leant against the wall for support. She looked at Don, still standing extremely close to her, almost pushing her against the wall with his body. He had a crazy look in his eyes.

Okay, Liz thought, I need to distract him so I can get out of here and get Ray.

“Look, Don, I understand the fact you don’t approve of Ray but he’s a really nice guy. You just need to get to know him better”

“What?” Don hissed, putting a hand around Liz’s neck. He didn’t squeeze but he could at any moment. “Do you think that I’ll ever be okay with you being with him?” The way he had said ‘him’ was like he was talking about something disgusting.

He was so close now that his lips almost touched Liz’s. She had to suppress the urge to move her head.

He continued, “You won’t be happy with him, Liz, trust me. I can give you everything you want. You belong with me, can’t you see that?”

“Ehm, look, why don’t we watch a movie, huh? Just relax a little and then we can talk about it later” Liz said, while trying to move away from the wall and thus her vulnerable position. But Don wouldn’t let her move and tightened the grip around her neck.

“Not so fast, princess” Don whispered close to Liz’s ear, “We’re not done yet”

 

Ray walked up to the window again to check on Liz and Don at the poolside but when he looked down he couldn’t see them anymore. He didn’t panic immediately but he did feel uncomfortable and a strange feeling started to form in his stomach.

He walked downstairs and went to the kitchen first, thinking that maybe they went for something to drink or a snack. When he didn’t find them there he checked the living room. Also empty. 

“Liz?” Ray yelled, “Don?” When he didn’t get an answer he decided to check the cinema before seeing if they’d gone somewhere outside. He was growing a little worried now because he knew Liz would never leave without saying anything. He walked out of the living room through the hall when he stopped dead in his tracks. 

On the floor, against the wall there was a backpack. Don’s backpack. It was black and had the letters SF on it. Ray felt a chill go through him, the hairs on his body standing on end. His worst nightmare had just became reality. Liz was alone with her stalker….

Ray was on edge when he opened the door to the cinema. He didn’t see anyone sitting there. “Liz?”   
He popped his head around the door to check the back of the room and felt his heart drop.

 

Don heard the door open and in a split second he had produced a knife from his pocket and had pulled Liz in front of him, one arm around her, grabbing her shoulders and one hand pressing the knife against her throat.

They watched as Ray looked inside the cinema. Liz would never forget the look on Ray’s face when he saw them. When he saw her, a knife against her throat. The desperation and shock that she saw was real and she was yet again reminded of how much Ray loved her.

“There he is, mister bodyguard. Took you long enough to get here” Don said sarcastically. 

“Please don’t hurt her, Don. Just put down the knife. We can talk about this”

Don laughed out loud. It almost sounded inhuman.

“Talk about this?! Really? There’s nothing to talk about!” the anger and frustration was clear in his voice, “Liz belongs with me, not you, it’s that simple” he spat.

“And what do you hope to achieve by doing this?” Ray asked, slowly making his way to the back of the room. He needed to be closer to Liz.

Don just stood there, watching Ray intently as he inched his way towards them.

“That’s far enough!” Don yelled as Ray got to the open space behind the chairs at the back of the room. Ray was about 15 feet away from them now and he looked at Liz, giving her a quick, reassuring smile before getting his attention back to Don.

“If I can’t have Liz, no one can” he growled and pressed the knife harder to Liz’s throat, drawing some blood.

Liz whimpered as she felt the knife cut through her skin. How had they not seen this coming? She was still having a hard time believing that all this time it had been a friend who had been threatening her.

Ray became even more worried when he saw blood trickle down from where Don had the knife pressed to Liz’s throat. 

“Don, please, the last thing you want is to hurt Liz, am I right?”

“Of course I don’t want to hurt her!” Don yelled, “But you guys leave me no choice! You don’t want to listen”

Liz thought it was time for a different approach, something she’d seen on television once. She lifted her hand and softly started stroking Don’s arm, the one he had around her shoulders.

“Look, Don, I have to admit that I’ve always found you very attractive” 

Ray raised his eyebrows at seeing and hearing what Liz was doing but he soon caught onto her plan.

“Back in school, I always had my eyes on you but I never felt like you were into me as well” she continued.

“What are you talking about?” Don asked suspiciously, “I always liked you, Liz”

“Well, if that was the case, I never noticed. And where were you when I got together with Tom? He treated me so badly. I’m sure you would never have done that to me” she tried moving her head a little so she could look up at him. He wouldn’t let her at first, still holding the knife firmly in place but after a while he loosened his grip and looked at Liz.

“I wanted to hurt that bastard so bad….” Don’s voice sounded like a whisper now. “He didn’t deserve you and took advantage of you”

His hand that had a tight grip on her shoulder now moved up to stroke her cheek. Liz almost flinched but she didn’t. She knew that if Don realized that she was playing him, it would all be over. She glanced at Ray who was still standing where Don had told him to stop. She wasn’t sure where to go from here and was hoping that Ray would know.

Ray made a nudging motion with his elbow that was barely noticeable but it was enough for Liz to understand.

She kept stroking Don’s arm and she felt him loosen his grip around her shoulders.

“You’re right, he didn’t deserve me”, she whispered close to his cheek. When she felt him loosening his grip even more and he was lowering the knife in his other hand just enough, she gave him a hard elbow between his ribs before ducking towards the floor. 

Simultaneously Ray dived forward and grabbed Don’s arm that was holding the knife, pushing him against the wall with his other hand. Don let go of Liz’s wrist, which he had managed to grab and Liz crawled away. Don tried to stab Ray with the knife but Ray was able to keep it away from him. He threw a punch and it landed on Don’s cheek and he cried out from pain. Ray had gotten his gun out the moment Liz had tried to free herself but the situation had been too dangerous for Ray to fire a shot. During the struggle with Don, the gun had been knocked out of his hand.

Ray looked behind him to see if Liz was okay and saw that she was sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth, tears streaming down her face.

The split second that Ray had his attention on Liz, Don saw his chance and managed to push Ray backwards and he swung the knife. It sliced through Ray’s shirt and left upper arm.

Ray felt the stabbing pain but was able to grab Don’s wrist before he could cut him again. 

They wrestled and finally Ray was able to get the knife out of Don’s hand and it fell to the floor. Both men were throwing punches now. 

Ray felt the warm blood run down his arm but he ignored the pain and continued the fight. Ray couldn’t remember ever being so angry with someone for all the pain and angst he’d caused. Don had put Liz and Sam through hell and he was going to make him pay for that.

Ray was stronger and after Don missed a punch, Ray was able to grab his arm and twist it behind his back, pushing him hard onto the floor. Don was unable to move with Ray pushing him down with a knee in his lower back.

Don was squirming underneath Ray so Ray gave him another punch in his side before he looked up at Liz.

“Lizzie, sweetheart…. It’s okay”, he said. All he wanted to do was to get up and wrap her in his arms and hold her. To kiss her tear-stained cheeks and tell her it was over. But he couldn’t just yet.

“Lizzie, darling, could you please go to my room and get my handcuffs? Could you do that for me, honey?” Ray asked in the calmest way possible.

Liz nodded and got up. She walked out of the cinema, slowly at first but as soon as she was near the door she started running. 

Ray was looking after Liz and waited until she disappeared from view.

“Okay, now it’s just you and me, buddy” he said before turning Don around onto his back. He punched Don in the face, “This one’s for Liz” he said before punching him in his gut “And that’s for Sam”

Don was squirming underneath him and crying out in agony. He threw one last punch before turning Don back onto his stomach saying “And that’s for hurting the woman I love”

Liz came back with the handcuffs and Ray cuffed Don before getting him on his feet. They walked to the kitchen and Ray sat Don down in one of the kitchen chairs before calling the police.

After Ray got off the phone with the police, Liz called Sam.

The moment Sam picked up, Liz broke down crying, too upset to even say a word, so Ray took the phone from her and explained to Sam what had happened.  
Ray could hear the immense relief in Sam’s voice and he promised he’d be home early.

Ray hung up the phone before taking Liz in his arms. “Shhhh, it’s okay sweetie, it’s all over now”, he said while kissing her temple before turning to her cheeks, kissing her tears away.

Thirty minutes later the police were at the house to arrest Don. Ray gave a quick statement at the kitchen table, not wanting to go to the station. An ambulance had also arrived and they checked on Liz. Ray was sitting next to her, stroking her back and whispering sweet words in her ear. 

“Ehh, sir, you’re bleeding” the paramedic stated dryly and Ray looked down at his arm. He’d forgotten about the knife wound as he was too focused on Liz.

The paramedic cut his shirt open to check his wound. “I’m afraid you’ll need stitches, sir. If you could come with us please?”

“No, just do it here” Ray answered.

“Sir, we can’t. We need to take you to the hospital for that”

“Listen, I’m not going anywhere. You’ll need to do it here, because I’m not leaving her. You either do it, or I’ll do it myself” Ray said as he pulled Liz onto his lap and wrapped his free arm around her. Liz put her head on his shoulder and wrapped both arms around Ray’s neck and they hugged while the paramedic stitched Ray’s arm.

After everyone had left, Ray and Liz went to the living room and sat down on the couch, still in a tight embrace.

Ray got up to grab a blanket from the other couch and draped it over Liz’s shoulders before taking her into his arms once more. He heard her muffled cries against his shoulder and held her even tighter. He felt his throat tighten at hearing Liz’s sobs and had to swallow hard to keep his own tears at bay.   
He slowly rocked her back and forth, giving her light kisses wherever he could reach, “Shhh, you’re safe now, sweetheart”  
They sat like that for minutes, just holding each other. Both letting the events of that day sink in.

“Are…are you okay?” Liz eventually asked after she had calmed down a little. She sat back and took Ray’s arm in her hands, softly stroking his hand, “Thank you for saving me…. again” she said before bending over and kissing his wound.

“I’m fine, sweetie. And you’re very welcome. That’s why I’m here, remember”, he said, winking at her.

“True. But now it’s all over…..”


	19. Moving on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this story. Thank you for reading it. Hope you enjoyed it!

3 months later

 

Liz woke up, stretching her limbs. She looked to her left and saw Ray, still fast asleep. She looked at the time and saw it was only 8 o’clock. It must be the nerves, she thought to herself before leaning over and kissing Ray softly on his lips.

 

Today was moving day and Liz felt a mix of emotions. Happy, anxious, nervous, ecstatic. When Ray had asked her to move in with him she didn’t even need to think about it. She had said yes before he barely finished his sentence. She did feel bad about leaving her dad but he’d been dating for a while now and Charlene had been staying over so often that it almost seemed like she already lived there with them.

It was time to move on. For Liz as well as for Sam. After months of being harassed, they were finally able to put it all behind them and pick up their lives again.

Don was safely behind bars and he would be for years to come. When Liz had told her friends about it, they were all dumbstruck. None of them would’ve ever thought that the stalker had been right amongst them the entire time. 

Of course it explained a lot. Don had had access to Liz’s room to plant the camera, access to her phone to hack into it. He knew about the layout of the house and garden and knew about the guards at the gate. All in all, the perfect way to get close to someone and to follow them everywhere they went.

 

Ray stirred when he felt Liz’s lips and he lazily wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “Good morning, my angel” he said with a rumbling, sleepy voice, kissing her forehead. They cuddled for a long time before deciding to get out of bed.

“We better get started packing the last bits and pieces” Liz yawned, “The sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll be at your place”

“Our place, you mean?” Ray said, giving her a wink. 

Liz still had to get used to it, “Yes, sorry, our place” she said, slapping Ray on his ass for teasing her.

They only had to pack a few last things. Liz would keep her room at her dad’s house so she left a lot of stuff behind. They’d brought some of her things to Ray’s apartment already. They had redecorated Ray’s old bedroom and made it theirs. Liz had been staying with Ray a lot over the past few months, after Ray had stopped working for her father.  
They went downstairs for breakfast and encountered Sam and Charlene at the kitchen table.

“Good morning guys” Ray said, clearly in a happy mood.

“Good morning” Sam and Charlene said in unison. Sam gave Liz a tight hug and a kiss on her temple. He was happy for her but he felt sad that she was leaving. 

“Are you ready for the big day?” Sam inquired

“Dad, I’m only moving house, it’s not like we’re getting married or something”

“Well, it may not be a big thing to you, but it is to me, butterball. It will be strange not having you here”

“I know, dad, it will be weird for me too. But I’m only 20 minutes away and I promise we will visit you often” Liz said, giving Sam another bear hug, “Where else would we play tennis” she winked at Ray, who instinctively brought his hands to his lap.

They had breakfast and shared a few last hugs and goodbyes before Sam and Charlene went off to work.

Liz went upstairs to get a few last pieces of clothing and they were off to Ray’s place. They drove separately so Liz would have her car with her as well.

When they got to Ray’s apartment door, he took out his keys, took one key off his key ring and held it up for Liz.

“Sweetheart, I hereby not only give you the key to my apartment, but symbolically also the key to my heart” 

Liz felt tears form in her eyes and held Ray’s face between her hands and kissed him on his lips before taking the key from him.

“Thank you…. I love you so much, Ray” 

Liz planted another kiss on him before opening the door to the apartment. Ray carried the last few things inside and put them in the bedroom before sitting next to Liz who was sitting on the couch, looking around the place like it was her first time there.

“I can’t believe I’ll be living here now” she sighed and gave Ray a smile, “It’s going to be great!”

“Yes, darling, it’ll be amazing” he leaned over and kissed her softly but soon deepened the kiss. 

“Mmmm, okay captain, let’s get my last few things sorted and then I’ll be fully settled in” Liz said, squirming away from Ray’s embrace.

She made her way to the bedroom to hang the last items of clothes in the, thankfully, big closet. She felt Ray come up behind her and he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Is there still space enough or do more of my clothes have to find their way to the spare room?” he asked teasingly.

“No, I think it’ll fit…. or maybe not”

“Hold on, let me take this away” Ray grabbed a few items and lastly took out a navy blue suit, “I won’t need this either. I’ll put it in the other room”

Liz eyed the costume he was holding, “Is that your Marine dress uniform? The one from the funeral?”

“Yes, it is. I can keep it in the other room since I barely get to wear it”

“Which is such a shame….” Liz said, licking her lips, “It looks so good on you”

Ray chuckled before walking away to put the items in the small closet he had in another room. 

They had dinner and Liz was still amazed by Ray’s cooking skills. Since they’d had Martha at her dad’s house, Ray hadn’t been able to show off his skills very often but the few times that he had cooked for Liz, the meals were absolutely amazing. Ray had suggested teaching Liz a few things in the kitchen and she’d gladly accepted.

After dinner Ray had disappeared and Liz thought he’d gone for a shower but after about 15 minutes and not hearing a single sound, she got up to see where he was.

“Ray?”, she walked into the bedroom to see if he was there and he was indeed.

He was standing there, in his Marine uniform. Liz’s jaw dropped and she couldn’t believe how amazing he looked. It had been a while since she saw him in it but in her memories he didn’t look as good as he did now that he stood before her. He gave her a huge smile, which completed the picture.

“Just wanted to see if it still fits. If you like it so much, I might need to wear it more often” he waggled his brows and looked at her, eyes dark with lust.

“Oh, absolutely, you must!” Liz said, quickly closing the gap between them, latching her mouth to his.

Ray felt Liz’s tongue probing against his lips, begging for entrance. He couldn’t help but smile at Liz’s reaction to seeing him in his uniform. He knew she liked it but had no idea she liked it this much.

Their tongues found their way to each other and danced around while Ray’s hands found the hem of Liz’s shirt and pulled it up, breaking their kiss momentarily to pull the shirt over her head.

His hands roamed her soft skin and Liz could feel herself getting wet because of his touch. He unclasped her bra easily and took it off leaving her naked from the waist up. Ray took his hands off Liz and started to unbutton his uniform but Liz grabbed his hands quickly.

“No, leave it on, Captain” she whispered with a husky voice, nipping at his lips. She put her hands on his chest, softly pushing him on the bed. He was sitting on the edge of the bed now, Liz standing between his spread legs. He put his hands on her ass, softly squeezing it, “As you wish, sweetheart”

Ray’s hands came up and cupped her breast, rolling her nipples between his fingers. This elicited a moan from Liz, throwing her head back. She ran her fingers through his shorn hair and latched her hands behind his head, pulling him closer. She needed to feel his hot mouth on her.

She got exactly what she wanted when Ray took one of her hard nipples into his mouth and started sucking. Liz put her knees on either side of Ray, straddling him as he kept on licking and sucking her nipples. She took a hold of his head and made him look up at her.

She kissed him, eyes still locked, and that turned Ray on even more. Liz could feel him throbbing underneath her and decided to give him some space.  
She stepped back off the bed, kneeling in front of Ray, taking his belt off and finding her way to his button and zipper to release his growing member.

Ray let out a sigh of relief when Liz pulled his hard manhood from his pants. She started stroking up and down and Ray let himself fall backwards onto the bed, his legs dangling over the edge. Liz playfully kissed the tip of his erection before getting up from the bed, removing her pants and lying next to Ray. Liz was naked now and Ray fully clothed except for his pants being open with his member out.

Ray rolled on top of Liz, kissing her deeply while one of his hands travelled south to her wet core. The fabric of his clothes rubbing against Liz’s nipples made her moan loudly and she started to kiss Ray even more frantically while pressing her body harder against him.

His skilled fingers found her wet and wanting and he teased her by circling her clit so slowly it was like his hand was barely moving. Liz moved her hips so that she pressed herself harder against his fingers and after another minute or so Ray felt he had teased her enough and moved his hand lower and inserted two fingers, slowly pumping in and out.  
In the meantime his mouth was tracing kisses from her breast to her taut stomach and he bent down over Liz so he could move his mouth even lower. He flicked his tongue against her clit and Liz grunted loudly. He pouted his lips and sucked on her little bundle of nerves while still moving his fingers inside of her.

It didn’t take Liz long to get close to her climax and just when she was about to come, Ray stopped everything he was doing and sat back up, kissing her chin and eventually her mouth.

Liz groaned, “Ray, please, don’t stop…” she begged him.

“I don’t want you to come just yet, baby” 

Ray turned Liz onto her side and lay behind her, spooning her naked body. He moved a little lower and lifted Liz’s leg and draped it over his to gain better access. Liz felt excited and she could feel her arousal grow. They’d never done it in this position and she couldn’t wait to feel him inside her.

Ray lined himself up behind Liz, stroking the tip of his erection through her folds to moisten himself and he slowly pushed his tip inside her core. Liz shifted a little so Ray would have even better access and she pushed her ass towards him. Ray pushed himself inside her to the hilt and stilled for a moment so Liz could adjust.

Ray squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep his orgasm at bay because being inside Liz in this position felt incredible and he was afraid he wouldn’t last long.

He started moving slowly, setting a nice pace for the both of them. He kissed and nipped at Liz’s neck while his free hand was playing with her nipples. Liz was in heaven, feeling so full and at the same time being touched by a skilful hand and mouth in all the right places. 

Ray increased the pace and soon grabbed Liz’s hip to keep her in place while he pumped in and out of her wildly. He was sweating because of the uniform and he felt drops of sweat trickle down his forehead and neck.   
When he felt he was close his hand moved from her hip to her clit and stroked it fiercely.

“Come with me, baby…. let’s do this together” his low voice rumbled in her ear.

Liz didn’t need more than that and she felt her body explode. It felt like fireworks had gone off inside of her and her body convulsed heavily. Ray came soon after Liz, feeling her insides tighten around him and he grabbed her around her waist, as he kept moving inside her until he couldn’t move at all anymore. Ray held her tight as they both tried to come back down from their high. They were panting heavily and Ray winced as he pulled out of her.

They lay in each other’s arms for long moments, almost dozing off.

“Sweetie, we should really get up. It’s too early to go to sleep now; we’d be up in the middle of the night”, Ray said, reluctantly moving away from Liz.

They got up and Ray was about to unbutton his uniform when Liz’s hands stopped him.

“Please, allow me” she smiled and slowly started to undress Ray. She carefully put the uniform back on its hanger, “We need to keep it nice for the next time you wear it” she winked.

Ray chuckled, “Glad you liked that, sweetie. I for one was sweating hard in that thing. But for you, I’ll gladly wear it again” he said, pulling her closer and kissing Liz on her temple.

Liz put on a thin robe while Ray went to the bathroom to have a quick shower. Liz had settled in front of the tv in the living room with a bottle of wine. Ray had put on his Captain America shirt and some sweatpants and Liz gave an approving look when he walked in. 

 

“Aawww, thank you for wearing that” she said as she put her head on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his waist firmly.

“No problem, I like wearing it” he smiled warmly.

They clinked their glasses and both took a sip of their wine.

“I could get used to this” Ray said, stroking Liz’s hair before kissing it.

“Mmmm, me too. Who knew that having a stalker could lead to something this good?”

“I know. I would’ve never thought this would happen. When your dad offered me the job, I thought it would be easy. Watching you from a distance, hoping to catch the guy quickly”

Liz giggled, “I really didn’t like you when we first met”, she said, looking up at him, eyes now glistening with love.

“I knew it!” Ray responded, pinching Liz’s ass.

“Luckily that changed quickly, although I guess my friends helped me see it”

“Remind me to send them some flowers” Ray teased as he wrapped his arms even tighter around her. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have found Lizzie the way he had.

 

“I love you, Lizzie”

“I love you too, Captain”

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to Jammequin for this great story idea and for making this readable...


End file.
